Finding a way home
by GleefulAngel
Summary: Takes place after Frenemies. Rachel has nowhere to go, so she reaches out to her birth mother.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer. I don't own Glee. Glee and all its characters belong to Ryan Murphy. **

After having torn in small pieces the only picture that reminded Santana and Rachel how far along they had come since High School, Rachel rushed down the stairs, trying to hold back the tears that were threatening to come down her cheeks. Deep down she knew she was being selfish and that she should be happy for Santana, but she couldn't believe she had to compete with her rival once again. She had always dreamed of being on Broadway. She was the one who had talked nonstop about it, not Santana. She had moved to New York City to make her dreams come true and she was not going to allow anyone stand in her way. She brushed that small pang of guilt she was feeling about her reaction and opened the door. Santana had to apologize to her. Yes, and until she got that apology and until Santana quit the play, she was not going to go back to that apartment. This was her turn to shine and nobody was allowed to rain on her parade.

Rachel took a deep breath and stepped outside. _"I am doing the right thing. A friend would never backstab you that way." _she thought as she figured out her next move. When she had left the apartment, she had done it to prove her point. But now she was starting to realize that this storm out was more complicated than the ones she used to pull when she was in High School. She couldn't go back, but she had nowhere to go.

She thought about going to NYADA and asking if they still had any rooms available at the dorms, but the mere thought of her previous roommate made her shudder. Then she thought of asking Dani if she could stay at the place for a couple of days until she figured out what to do, but then she thought that asking your enemy's girlfriend for shelter would not be the best way to prove her point.

"_Come on, Rachel, think" _she told herself as she went through the contacts on her phone. _"Oh, maybe I could ask Rupert to get me a nice place to live," _she thought as she smiled. She deserved to live in Manhattan now that she was a star. No Broadway star should be living in Bushwick, but once again, she sighed as she remembered he had been the one telling her and Santana that they had to be joined at the hip for the sake of the show, so once again, she glanced back to her contacts.

"_Shelby …" _she said as she got to the last name on her list. That was perfect; she could call Shelby and ask her if she could stay there for a couple of days. She couldn't say no. Not after everything her mother had put her through.

…

Shelby was making dinner for her and Beth, as the little soon to be four year old chatted about her day. She had gone to Broadway camp with her mom for the second time and she had loved it.

"Can we sing, mommy?" Beth asked as she jumped up and down in the kitchen.

"We can sing after dinner, sweetie. But you have to stop jumping" Shelby said, as she glanced at her blond daughter. "You know I don't like it when you jump in the kitchen. You could get hurt."

"But mommy, I …"

Her thought was interrupted by the sound of Shelby's phone ringtone.

"I'll get it, mommy!" Beth said running to get the phone.

"Beth, wait …"

"Hello?" said Beth.

"Hi Beth, it's Rachel, your … uh … well, it's Rachel" she said, not really sure about what she could say. She had never thought about what her relationship to Beth was. Technically, they could be sisters, because they had the same mother, but in fact, they really did not have any ties that could bind them.

"Wachel?" the little girl asked.

"Yes, Rachel. Can I talk to Shelby, please?"

"Shelby? I not know Shelby" answered Beth.

"What do you …? Beth, please, I need to talk to Shelby. I need to talk to your mom"

"Okay. Bye"

"Hello? Rachel?" said Shelby, picking up the phone.

"Did you know your own child doesn't know your name? I mean, I know she calls you mom, but what if one day she gets lost and they ask her what your name is and she has no idea. That could be very dangerous. You should teach your …" said Rachel, as she rambled on the phone.

Shelby shook her head as she let out a thin smile. Rachel was rambling and she really was busy making dinner, but it somehow warmed her heart to see that her daughter had the same bad habit as she did.

"Rachel, did you call to tell me how to raise my child?" asked Shelby, interrupting her daughter.

"No, of course not. I need a place to stay and …"

"What happened to that apartment you shared with Kurt and Santana?"

Rachel sighed, and then replied, "I no longer live there. I have been backstabbed and I am not living with people who clearly have only been pretending to be my friends."

"So you had a fight?" asked Shelby.

"No! Didn't you hear, they were never my friends!" said Rachel rising her voice.

"Hey, don't raise your voice, I was only asking" Shelby said in a warning tone, even though she knew that she probably had no right to use that tone with Rachel.

"Can I stay with you?" asked Rachel on the verge of tears.

"Of course. Where are you?"

"I'm about to take the subway to the city. Thanks, Shelby" said Rachel, as she hung up.

Shelby shook her head once again, and turned to Beth, who was spinning in the living room.

"It looks like we'll have a guest tonight." Shelby told Beth. _"I'll have my two daughters tonight" _she thought as she watched her daughter dance.

…

After a long trip from Bushwick to the city, Rachel made it to Shelby's apartment. When Shelby had gone to NYADA to help Rachel with her Funny Girl audition, the older brunette had given Rachel her home address in case she ever needed something, but that piece of paper had remained hidden in Rachel's purse until now.

"_Wow, this is a nice place" _thought Rachel as she made her way to the front door. Unlike her apartment building in Bushwick, this building looked fancy. She smiled as she knew she had made the right choice. "I'm here to see Ms. Shelby Corcoran" Rachel told the doorman.

"Good evening, miss. I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me, as you look exactly as Ms. Corcoran does, only much younger"

"She is my …" Rachel interrupted herself. She knew she had to stop seeing Shelby as her mother and start seeing her as a grown up friend, since it was clear that Shelby didn't see her as her daughter. "I mean, yes, people always say that. Now, if you'll excuse me …"

"Of course, miss"

Rachel walked into the elevator and pushed the button. As she made her way upstairs, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

When the door opened, Rachel was startled by the sight of Shelby and Beth waiting for her there. "How did you know I was here?"

"The doorman told me a young version of myself was on her way up" Shelby said smiling. But her smile soon faded when she noticed Rachel's sad eyes. She knew her daughter was trying to put up a brave face, but she could tell she was in fact sad. "Let's go inside the apartment"

Beth stared at Rachel and tilted her head. "Ugh, you look so much like Quinn" said Rachel, staring back at Beth.

"Rachel, please, don't" Shelby said, not wanting Beth to start asking questions, as the little girl became more and more curious every passing day.

"Well, she does" Rachel said, walking into the apartment.

"So, you all had a fight …" said Shelby, wanting to know the whole story.

"I told you …" Rachel started to speak in a condescending tone, but then toned down her attitude. "We didn't have a fight. It is not my fault that I am such a bright star that Santana started to be blinded by that light I shine and decided to find a way to dim the light. Luckily, I knew what she was doing and I stopped it. I was such a fool to believe we were friends. I should've known she had always been jealous of me"

"So, you had a fight?"

"Ugh!" said Rachel as she stormed out to one of the bedrooms, but then she realized her storm out wasn't very effective, because that wasn't her house and she had no idea where to go. So she walked back to the living room and in a haughty tone asked, "Which one is my room?"

"Uh … I have a guest room. You can stay there" answered Shelby, not liking Rachel's attitude. She stared at her daughter as she realized that she was catching a glimpse of what Rachel could have been like as a child. She might be grown up now, but she could see that deep inside, she had never truly grown up.

"Okay. Which one is it?" Rachel asked in a rude tone.

"Rachel, this is my house, and you are always welcome here. And while I understand that you are upset right now, and that is why your attitude has not been the best, this is my house and I will not tolerate that attitude much longer" Shelby said in a stern tone of voice.

Rachel nodded and bit her lip. She had never meant to sound rude. "I'm sorry" she mumbled, as she finally let her tears flow.

Shelby approached her grown up daughter and hugged her. "It's going to be okay. Let's have dinner and we'll figure this out together."

Rachel wiped her tears and nodded, as she noticed Beth staring attentively at them. "I'm a little upset" she said. As soon as those words left her mouth, Beth ran and hugged her leg.

"It's okay, Wachel"

Shelby felt her eyes water as she looked at her two daughters. Maybe this time, she'd be able to prove to Rachel that she had always loved her.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you so much for all the reviews and the follows and the favorites. I have read every review and I am taking into account every comment. Thank you so much! **

**You all have inspired me to continue writing, so here you have the second chapter. I hope you enjoy it.**

…

Rachel was sitting on the floor playing with Beth while Shelby finished making dinner. There was something relaxing about playing with a three year old. She felt like she could forget about everything for a couple of hours.

"Wachel, do her voice!" said Beth, handing Rachel a different doll. The little girl was in awe about the different voices and accents Rachel could do.

Rachel cleared her throat and did a Southern accent she had been practicing. She never knew when that accent could become handy. She had to be able to master every accent, so there could be no producer or director telling her that she wasn't hired because she didn't sound right.

"How y'all doing?" Rachel said and Beth burst out laughing as she clapped.

Rachel smiled and bowed. She had always loved being the center of attention, but what she loved the most this time was being able to be that carefree.

"Rachel, could you help me set the table, please?" asked Shelby from the kitchen.

"Mommy, we play" whined Beth, when she heard Rachel was about to be taken away from her.

"Yeah, mommy, we play" repeated Rachel, winking at Shelby. But when she looked at Shelby's eyes, she could see something she had never seen before. For a moment, she thought the woman actually saw her as her daughter. But she quickly pushed that thought aside, remembering what had happened between the two of them. She wasn't going to make that mistake again. "Uh, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have called you that. I was just … Well, Beth said it and …"

"It's okay, Rachel" Shelby said as she smiled at her oldest daughter. Hearing her call her mommy warmed her heart, but deep down she knew that the young brunette was only repeating what Beth had said.

Rachel and Shelby just looked at each other for a couple of seconds, deciding what to do next. Even though they were both older now and they had worked through their differences, they were still walking on eggshells sometimes.

Shelby took a deep breath and smiled at Rachel, "So, table, please"

Rachel nodded and stood up. "Sorry, Beth, we can play later."

Yes, that little blond girl may be Quinn's, but she couldn't deny she was very cute.

"Uh, Shelby, I don't know where anything is." Rachel said, walking into the kitchen.

"You can find the dishes in the cupboard and the silverware in the top drawer on the right"

Rachel made her way to the cupboard, but when she opened it, and started to take some dishes out, she saw something that made her stop.

"Is everything alright?" asked Shelby, not knowing why Rachel was looking so attentively inside the cupboard.

"That's not Beth"

"What's not Beth?"

"The mug. There is a mug with a picture of you holding a baby. That's not Beth" Rachel said. "Is that …?

"Yes, it is"

"You look so young."

"I was 21" replied Shelby. She wasn't sure how Rachel had seen the mug that was hidden behind dishes and other mugs.

"Why?" inquired the young brunette.

"Why was I 21?" replied Shelby. She knew what Rachel was asking, but she didn't want to have that discussion at the moment. Not when it was clear that her oldest daughter was already upset about something else.

"No, I mean, why did you have that mug made?"

"Oh, Rachel, I think we will have to save that story for another time. Dinner is almost ready and it's getting late for Beth. She has to go to bed soon"

"Okay" Rachel said, looking a little disappointed. All she wanted to know was how the woman really felt about her.

"We'll talk about it. I promise. Just not now" Shelby added, kissing Rachel on the head. "Now, before you started snooping around, you were going to set the table, right?"

Rachel smiled a shy smile and nodded. "Right."

…

Shelby had meant to talk to Rachel about what had happened between her roommates and her over dinner, but they kept getting interrupted by a chatty three year old, so Shelby decided to wait until Beth was sleeping to address the subject.

"Let's talk, Rachel" Shelby said, as she brought two steaming cups of tea to the living room. "What happened tonight?"

Rachel sighed "I thought Santana and Kurt were my friends, but it became clear this afternoon that we were never friends."

"But you and Kurt have grown so close these last couple of years, haven't you?" asked Shelby, trying to sound as if she had just happened to have heard that, when in fact she checked Rachel's Facebook every single day and actually knew a lot about her life.

"We have, and I guess he didn't mean to betray me, he just … well, he was just being Kurt"

"What about Santana?"

"She went behind my back and auditioned for Funny Girl!"

"I thought you had already been given the role" Shelby replied, feeling very confused at the moment.

"I was. I am Fanny Brice. But Santana had the nerve to audition to be my understudy! Her being on stage depends on me being sick or unable to perform!" said Rachel, feeling her blood boiling again and her eyes stinging with the tears that were about to come down her face. "Not only did she audition without telling me, but then she proceeded to insult me! It was like High School all over again. She even said I was short!"

"Well, sweetie, don't take this the wrong way, but you are … not very tall" said Shelby, trying to lighten the mood. But all she got was a glare from Rachel and she knew this was not the time to make jokes. "Okay, that was inappropriate, I apologize. Have you told Santana how you are feeling? If you are friends …"

"We are not friends. We never were and we never will be" said Rachel, interrupting what Shelby was saying.

"I agree. She should never have auditioned to be your understudy without giving you a heads up. That was wrong from her …"

Rachel nodded, happy that Shelby was agreeing with her. That was until the older woman continued speaking.

"… but you shouldn't have left the apartment. You should've stayed there and talked about it"

"Ugh, you sound like Kurt." Rachel answered, rolling her eyes, "There was nothing to talk about. She is still the same person she was in High School, and even now, when I am on the verge of stardom, she …"

Rachel couldn't continue as her emotions got the best of her and she let the tears flow. She might be self-confident on stage and she was sure she was a star, but sometimes, she couldn't help feeling like the same loser she was in High School.

"Oh, Rachel. Oh, honey" said Shelby, as she put her arms around her daughter and rocked her, rubbing her back. "Cry, baby, let those emotions out. It'll help."

In that moment, Shelby could do nothing but be there for her daughter. As she let her cry, she didn't say anything else. She just held her until the tears stopped. She might not have been there for her growing up, but that was what a mother was supposed to do and she was ready to take on that role. She just hoped it wasn't too late.


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you so much for all the reviews and all the follows and all the favorites. I am so happy you are enjoying this story. If you have any suggestions or comments, please feel free to leave them as reviews or as PMs.**

**...**

Even though the following day was Saturday and Shelby didn't have any plans, when morning came, she woke up at 6am, as she always did. She knew Beth would call for her at exactly 6:54, and her job as mom would start, so she always got up about an hour before her little girl, in order to have time for herself. That particular morning, she walked towards the bathroom ready to take a shower, but she changed her mind and decided to walk to the guest room instead. She opened the door carefully, as not to wake Rachel, and peeked inside. She smiled at the sight of her daughter, who was sleeping peacefully. In that moment, Shelby realized that she had no idea what Rachel was really like. She might read her Facebook every day and she might have caught a glimpse of her in High School and the night before, but aside from her love for Broadway and Barbra Streisand, she didn't know much about her own daughter. As she was thinking about how much she had missed, that smile began to fade, as it turned into a frown and then she felt a tear rolling down her cheek. She didn't know what Rachel's morning routine was like; she didn't know if Rachel usually woke up smiling or if she wasn't a morning person. She wanted to walk inside the room and hold her daughter, but somehow, she felt she had no right. She had been the one who had walked away; the one who had told her own daughter that she didn't want a relationship with her. And the previous night, she had been the one who had allowed Rachel to call her Shelby, instead of mom. But she knew she didn't deserve that name. At least, not yet.

As she watched the sleeping girl cuddled in that bed, she didn't see the 18 year old who had finished her first year in college and who had been given the chance to star on Broadway. She saw the little girl she had walked away from. She saw a chance to make things right.

"I'm here." Shelby whispered, as she closed the door and walked into the bathroom to have a shower. She had been watching Rachel for over twenty minutes and she knew she had to hurry before Beth woke up.

...

"Mommy!" cried Beth from her crib, frustrated because she wasn't able to climb down.

Shelby looked at her watch and smiled, _"6:54, right on time," _she thought as she walked into Beth's bedroom. "I know you can't wait to get a big girl's bed. We're getting one soon, I promise."

"Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!" said Beth jumping and smiling.

"I'm also very happy to see you, sweetie" Shelby said, as she lifted Beth up and gave her a kiss on her nose. "We have to be quiet this morning, though. We don't want to wake up Rachel."

"Wachel?" asked Beth tilting her head.

"Yes, Rachel slept over."

"Waaachel!" yelled Beth, squirming to get down from her mom's arms and be able to run to see Rachel.

"Beth" Shelby said chuckling. She wanted to tell her little girl off, but she found it adorable that the blond girl had already become so attached to Rachel. "You're going to wake …"

"Too late" said Rachel with a yawn, as she walked towards the place where she had listened to her name being yelled.

"Wachel! Hi!" said Beth, giving Rachel her fullest smile.

"Hey, Beth" replied Rachel, smiling sweetly at the blond girl.

"Good morning, Rachel. How did you sleep?" asked Shelby with a smile.

"That bed is really comfortable. And it was quite refreshing to be able to sleep without waking up every hour wondering if a certain sound was thunder or a gunshot" Rachel replied, going on a rant. "Don't get me wrong. I loved having a place of my own, but Bushwick is not the safest neighborhood and even though I could listen to the traffic here, I was able to get a very good night sleep."

"So, I guess you're a morning person, huh?" said Shelby, assuming Rachel was a morning person, since she was able to ramble after having just woken up. Shelby was that her first question about Rachel had been answered.

"Why are you already dressed?" asked Rachel, noticing that Shelby was wearing jeans and a purple top, while she was still in her pajamas and her hair looked as if it had been blown by a tornado.

"I have been awake for quite some time." Shelby answered

"Oh. What time is it?"

"It's 7 in the morning. When you have a toddler in the house, you can forget about sleeping in."

Rachel chuckled and nodded.

"I was going to make breakfast. Do you like pancakes?" asked Shelby, trying to break the awkward silence that suddenly filled the room.

"I do. I make pancakes every weekend for Kurt and Santana" replied Rachel. "Well, I used to, because now I don't live them anymore," she added, suddenly remembering why she was at Shelby's house in the first place.

"Are you going to talk to them today?" asked Shelby.

"No. There is nothing left to say"

Shelby shook her head and sighed. She could recognize that stubbornness, because she had been the same way when she was younger.

"_From all the things Rachel could've gotten from me, she had to inherit my stubbornness."_ Shelby thought as she looked at her daughter.

"Alright. How about if you two help me make breakfast this morning?" said Shelby. Even though she wanted to talk to Rachel about her refusal to see Santana's and Kurt's side, she knew that talk would not be well received at the moment, especially with an empty stomach.

"I help, mommy?" Beth asked, clapping her hands.

"Yes, you can be my little helper. You can help me whip the batter" Shelby replied, winking at the little girl.

"Yay, mommy!"

Rachel gave Shelby and Beth a sad smile, as she pictured what her life would have been like if she had grown up with a mother. She suddenly pictured herself at Beth's age, helping Shelby make breakfast. She would've loved to have her mom around. She loved both her fathers very much; they had given her a wonderful life. She had been spoiled day after day, her every whim had been fulfilled. She had truly enjoyed her childhood. But she had always wondered what having a mother would be like. And now, seeing the woman who gave birth to her being a mother to someone else was breaking her heart, but she knew she couldn't demand anything from Shelby at that point.

"You can also be my little helper" said Shelby putting an arm around Rachel. It was as if she had been able to read what Rachel was thinking. "Come on."

...

"Mmm, these pancakes are so good today!" said Shelby, savoring a bite. "My two little helpers did a wonderful job."

"Yummy, mommy" Beth replied.

"You do realize I am 18, right? I know little might be a pun about my height, but I am not a child anymore" answered Rachel, as she took a bite from her pancakes.

"_You don't have to keep reminding me you are all grown up" _thought Shelby when she heard what Rachel had just said. She realized she had no idea how to be the mother of an 18 year old, but she was willing to give it a try.

"I know you are, Rachel, but …"

Rachel was looking at her plate, but looked up to see Shelby when the older woman stopped speaking. And she saw it. She saw the glistening in her eyes from a tear that was threatening to make its way down. She knew what that look meant, because she had the same look. She knew what love looked like.

"You are right. They are really good," added Rachel nodding, letting Shelby know that she had gotten the message.

After a few minutes of silence, Beth spoke. "Wachel, you play?"

Both Shelby and Rachel were thankful that the carefree toddler had broken the silence. Neither one of them could understand why it was so difficult for them to just let go of their fears and insecurities.

"She might have plans, Beth" replied Shelby.

"I don't have anything planned, really. I am supposed to go to the diner today, but I don't feel like going there when Santana is working, so I am changing my shift. She has the day off tomorrow, so I'll work then."

"Don't you want to go talk to Kurt?" asked Shelby.

Rachel shook her head as she continued eating her breakfast.

"I think talking to Kurt would help …"

"Ugh! No! I am not talking to him!" said Rachel in a frustrated tone, as she slightly raised her voice.

"Rachel …" said Shelby in a serious tone.

Rachel rolled her eyes and stood up. She took her empty plate to the sink and then, walked out. "Can I take a shower in your bathroom? I forgot to pack my shampoo and conditioner."

"Of course. Everything you need is inside the shower."

Shelby watched Rachel walk away and rubbed her temples. One minute they were having breakfast as a family, and the next, she was trying to calm down the storm that was brewing. A storm that, looking back, she had helped to create by asking Rachel about Kurt. She had thought that bonding with Rachel was going to be easier now that they were both grownups, but it was proving to be harder than she had expected.

"Wachel mad, mommy?" asked Beth, putting her sticky hand on top of Shelby's.

"No, she's just trying to find her place, baby. And we have to help her." replied Shelby, mostly to herself, but she saw Beth nodding, as if the little girl knew what she meant. "We'll help her find her way home"


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you for the reviews! I will do my best to write longer chapters. Sometimes my muse decides to abandon me in the middle of a chapter and I have to end it there, but I will do my best. **

**About Rachel's age. I am really confused about what month it is, because season 4 and 5 seem to be portraying the longest school year ever. I wrote she was 19, because I assumed it was 2014. Did Frenemies happen in 2013? **

…

"Mommy, we go to the park?" Beth asked, as she jumped up and down. Shelby had promised the day before that they would go to the park if Beth behaved well during Broadway daycare and she had done her best not to throw a tantrum or speak in that loud voice her mom didn't like, so she was sure that they were going to the park.

"Of course, baby, you were such a good girl yesterday! And it looks like it's going to be a nice day, so we can go to the park and maybe, we could go visit your friends at the zoo" Shelby replied, smiling sweetly at Beth.

"Yay, monkeys!" Beth answered, clapping her hands. "We go now?"

"Let's see if Rachel wants to join us." Shelby said, glancing at her watch. Rachel had been in the bathroom for a long time, and she was starting to wonder if everything was okay. How long could it take a person to have a shower? She wanted to go and see if Rachel was alright, but she didn't want to hover. She didn't know how long it usually took Rachel to be ready in the morning, so her taking that long might be normal.

While Shelby didn't want to invade Rachel's privacy, Beth had other plans, as she ran into Shelby's bedroom as soon as she heard her new friend might be joining them.

"Wachel!" the little blond girl said as the barged into the bedroom, just in time to see Rachel coming out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her thin body and a towel on her hair. "Mommy's taking us to the park!"

"Beth, you cannot run into someone's room like that!" Shelby said in a serious tone.

"It's okay, Shelby" Rachel said as she smiled at the little girl. For the first time in her life, she felt like someone truly liked her for who she was. Beth had never heard her sing, and yet, she seemed to like her. Rachel had always wondered if people actually put up with her, because she was talented and not because they liked who she was. "I was going to wear a dress today, but if we are going to the park …"

"No dresses" Beth said shaking her head.

"I'll just go into the guest room and change," Rachel replied, suddenly feeling very self-conscious standing there, in front of Shelby, wearing nothing but a towel around her body. She knew Shelby was her mother, but she was practically a stranger, and she didn't feel comfortable in that state of undress.

"Are you sure you want to come?" Shelby asked.

Rachel nodded and smiled. "I haven't been to the park in a while. It sounds like fun"

"Okay, then, we'll let you get dressed and then we can go" Shelby added, with a smile on her face. She had always wanted to take Rachel to the park, she had pictured the fun they would have and all the time they would spend in the swings and the slide. She couldn't believe she was going to be able to do that.

"No dresses, Wachel!" Beth yelled, as Rachel was making her way out.

Rachel chuckled and shook her head.

Several minutes went by before Rachel made her way out of the room, wearing black shorts and a white top. She was almost ready. She just had to brush her hair.

"Shelby, have you seen my brush? I don't think I took it out of my bag last night, but I can't find it" Rachel said, as she looked inside her purse.

"Maybe you left it at the apartment when you left" Shelby said, walking into bedroom to get her own brush. "But you can use mine"

Rachel was about to grab it, but her action was interrupted by Shelby's voice. "Sit down"

The young brunette raised her eyebrow, wondering what was happening, but she followed the instructions. She sat down on the couch and looked at Shelby.

"I've always wanted to do this" Shelby said, brushing Rachel's long hair.

The action took Rachel by surprise and she stayed still, even though hundreds of thoughts were running through her mind. What did that mean? What Shelby was doing was a very motherly thing to do. Was she only doing it because she had forgotten her brush? Was Shelby trying to tell her something? She didn't understand what was happening and why her heart suddenly filled with joy. Her fathers had never brushed her hair that way. When she was little, one of her dads used to do her hair, but by the time she was five and she was able to brush it by herself, they stopped.

Every caress of the brush through her long hair brought a new thought. When she was seven years old, she had watched a TV show where the mother of a little girl was brushing the girl's hair as she spoke sweetly to her, and Rachel started to imagine what it would be like to have a mother who'd play with her hair and brush it every night before bed. A mother who made sure her hair looked pretty before being sent to school. Since she didn't have a mother to do that for her, she used to go to sleep and force herself to dream of that mother she was missing in her life.

Shelby wanted to speak, but she was also lost in her own thoughts. When she was little, she loved it when her mom brushed her hair. It made her feel loved and safe. As she grew older, she would often imagine doing the same with her own daughter. When she had to give Rachel away, she had spent days crying and one of the things she kept telling herself was that she was never be able to offer that kind of comfort to her own child and that made her sad.

"You have beautiful hair" Shelby said softly. She didn't think Rachel would be so still while she brushed her hair and deep down, she hoped it was a sign of her daughter giving her a second chance.

"Just like yours," Rachel said.

They stayed quiet for a couple of seconds, but then Rachel heard a sound she recognized, and tried to turn around when she heard Shelby sniffling. "Are you crying?"

"I am just being silly" Shelby replied, wiping a tear with her hand. "You're all ready to go"

Rachel stood up to see herself in the mirror and was pleasantly surprised to see her long hair done in a French braid. "Wow"

"Mommy, let's gooooo" Beth said, pulling Shelby's hand and growing frustrated by the minute.

"Okay, okay, Miss Impatient, let's go"

…

As soon as they got to the park, Beth ran to the slide, which was her favorite. She could spend hours climbing up the ladder and coming down the slide.

"Be careful, Beth" said Shelby, guiding Rachel to a bench nearby, so she could keep a watch on her youngest daughter.

Shelby and Rachel stayed in silence for a couple of minutes, until Rachel decided to break the silence, "I used to love the swings. I loved it when dad pushed me, because he pushed me higher than daddy."

Shelby smiled at the new piece of information and asked, "Did you often go to the park?"

Shelby wanted to know what Rachel's childhood had been like. She wanted to know if all that suffering throughout the years due to her giving her daughter away had been worth it. She was praying those two men had treated her daughter well.

"We went every Saturday after my dance class. Dad took me to the park and then to have lunch. At the beginning, he used to take me to McDonald's! Can you believe it? I don't want to say my dad was irresponsible, but he did not have the best judgement. McDonald's!" said Rachel, feeling more at ease around Shelby. "I mean, you are supposed to feed your children healthy food. So, I decided enough was enough and I became a vegan."

"How old were you?"

"I don't remember. Eight, perhaps. Eating meat is atrocious!" Rachel declared.

Shelby chuckled, "But you need those vitamins and minerals to grow up healthy."

"You can substitute them by other things. There is no need to kill animals."

"You may be right, but I still like to eat meat" Shelby said.

Rachel shook her head and was about to lecture Shelby on the consumption of meat, when she heard her name being called.

"Wachel, come play with me!" Beth said from the top of the slide.

Rachel looked at Shelby, as her mother encouraged her to go play. "It's fun" Shelby said.

"I'm too old"

"You're never too old to play, Rachel."

Rachel shrugged and rushed to the slide. She couldn't hide her excitement for long. She hadn't played in a park for a long time, and she loved that she had an excuse to do so, even if she wasn't a child anymore.

"Wachel, wanna go to the swings?" Beth asked, making her way down the slide.

"Sure! I'll push you!" Rachel replied smiling.

Beth grabbed Rachel's hand and pulled her towards the swings. "Okay"

Rachel lifted Beth so she could sit safely in one of the swings. She secured the bar around her waist and started pushing her. At first, she wasn't doing it too hard, because she didn't know what Beth liked, but she realized that the higher the little girl got, the more she laughed, so she decided to push her a bit harder.

"Rachel, be careful! Not so high!" Shelby said, walking closer to her daughters.

"It's fun, mommy!" Beth yelled as she continued laughing.

Rachel didn't pay much attention to what Shelby had told her and continued pushing Beth, so the little girl could go higher. There was nothing wrong with that, they were just having fun.

"Rachel, I mean it, don't push her that high" Shelby said again, getting ahold of the swing and trying to slow it down.

"Come on, Shelby, she is obviously loving it" Rachel replied, not understanding what Shelby's problem was.

"And she will still love it, even if she doesn't get that high. It's dangerous"

"That metal bar is keeping her safe" Rachel argued.

"Don't you see how that steel bar raises every time she goes up? It is not entirely safe" Shelby continued, trying to explain.

Rachel rolled her eyes and gave the swing a hard push, instead of stomping her foot, not noticing that she had actually hit Beth on the back.

"Ow! Mommy!" Beth said as she started to cry.

"Rachel!" Shelby said, raising her voice. "Why would you do that?"

Shelby stopped the swing and held Beth in her arms.

Rachel just stared at Shelby and then looked at Beth, feeling bad. "Beth, I didn't mean to."

"You hit me, Wachel" Beth said, whining.

"I didn't mean to. I was just …"

"Rachel, apologize to your sister!" Shelby said, without thinking about the implications of what she had just said.

In that moment, Shelby didn't see Rachel as the baby she had given away or the teenager she had walked away from. She saw her as her daughter who had hurt her other daughter. In that moment, every doubt and fear she had felt in the last 24 hours had dissipated and had been replaced by the actual feeling of being a mother to both girls.

"What?" Rachel whispered, unsure of what to say. Had Shelby just called her Beth's sister? Did Shelby really see her as her daughter?

"Apologize to Beth, Rachel" Shelby insisted.

"Uh … I'm sorry, Beth. I didn't mean it" Rachel said in a low voice, as her brain kept trying to process what Shelby had said.

Beth wiped her tears and pouted. "Okay"

Shelby held Beth close and gave her a kiss. "Would you like to go to the zoo now?"

Beth nodded.

Shelby put Beth down and held her hand. Then, she offered her other hand to Rachel, who looked at her, hesitant about whether to take it or not. She knew they would have to talk about what had just happened, but she knew that it would be difficult with Beth around.

"We'll talk about it later" Shelby said to Rachel, as she held her daughter's hand.


	5. Chapter 5

**Thank you so much for the reviews. I am sorry it took me longer to update this time. All your comments make me truly happy. Thanks so much!**

**(I have changed Rachel's age to 18 in those chapters where her age was mentioned)**

**...**

The walk towards the zoo was silent, as each member of the family was lost in her own thoughts.

Beth, despite only being three years old, was wondering why her mom had asked Rachel to apologize to her sister. She couldn't quite grasp what that implied, but there was a girl in her Sunday play group that was always complaining about her sister, so she had an idea of what it meant. Still, in Beth's mind, it didn't make any sense. She scrunched her nose and looked at her mom and then at her new friend, Rachel. Then, she shrugged. She had learned in her short three years that adults sometimes said weird things, so she stopped thinking about it and smiled, as she thought about all the animals she was going to see.

Shelby couldn't stop thinking about what she had said. She hadn't meant to say that to Rachel and she was a little afraid about how Rachel would react once they had a chance to talk. However, the more she thought about it, the more at ease she felt. While it was true that she had walked away, she was Rachel's mom and nothing could change that, and she knew that if she wanted to fix their relationship, she had to stop walking on eggshells and start treating Rachel as her daughter, not as her friend. She looked down to see the hand she was holding and noticed that Rachel hadn't tried to release her hand yet, which meant that deep down, the young girl wanted the same thing as her mother.

Rachel walked next to Shelby, but couldn't bring herself to look at the older woman. She kept replaying in her head everything that had happened during sophomore year and senior year, and she couldn't understand why she had been called Beth's sister. She wanted to think that Shelby was finally ready to be her mother, but she didn't want to get her hopes up. She had done it before, and her heart had been broken. She started to think about the time Shelby had helped her with the Lady Gaga dress, that had also been very motherly and yet, Shelby later told her that they couldn't be a family. She shook her head and sighed. This time, she was not going to allow Shelby to break her heart.

As soon as Beth spotted the zoo, she let go of her mom's hand and ran towards the entrance.

"Beth, come here!" Shelby said, running towards the little girl. "You know you cannot let go of my hand. It's dangerous!"

"But mommy, I have to see the monkeys!" Beth replied with an urge in her voice.

"And you will, but we all have to stick together" Shelby said, kneeling down, so she could be the same height as Beth. "Imagine if you got lost. What would I do without you?"

"You'd find another daughter." Rachel muttered.

As soon as those words left her mouth, Shelby looked up and gave her a glance that sent chills down her back. Rachel didn't know how her mother had heard that, since she was sure she had said it to herself, but it was clear that Shelby had supersonic hearing.

"I don't wanna get lost, mommy" Beth said, oblivious of what was going on around her, as she went back to holding Shelby's hand.

Shelby gave Beth a kiss on the forehead and stood up, looking at Rachel again.

"That was inappropriate," Shelby said in a serious tone, "and we are going to talk about why you feel that way."

"It's pretty obvious, isn't it?" Rachel replied, allowing her emotions to get the best of her.

Shelby was about to reply when she was interrupted by her little blond child. "I wanna see the monkeys!"

"Let's go see them, Beth" Rachel said, taking Beth's other hand. She was grateful that the little girl had once again interrupted the conversation. She still wasn't ready to show how much she actually needed Shelby in her life.

"You have a favorite animal, Wachel?" Beth asked, as they finally stood in front of the cage that held the monkeys.

"I cannot say I have one favorite animal, no. People always think I love animals, because of the sweaters I used to wear in High School, but that was not because of my love for animals. It was more of a fashion statement, though people never saw it that way." Rachel replied, rambling. "I can say, however, that I am quite fond of penguins and polar bears. I cannot say why, though."

Beth looked at Rachel with wide eyes and then at Shelby. That had been a very complicated answer for such a simple question.

"Rachel likes penguins and polar bears, honey." Shelby said, simplifying the answer to Beth.

"Oh" Beth said, with a wide smile, returning her attention to her beloved apes.

"Did you use to like going to the zoo when you were little, Rachel?" Shelby asked.

Rachel shook her head. "We went once, but … uh … well, something happened and …"

"What happened?" Shelby inquired.

"Nothing. Forget about it" Rachel said, not wanting to reveal her mischievous side as a kid.

"Was it serious?" Shelby asked.

"No. It wasn't" Rachel replied, hoping Shelby wouldn't ask any more questions.

"But you said something had happened …" Shelby insisted. She just wanted to get to know her daughter.

"I said, forget about it!" Rachel said, raising her voice, and walking away. "I'm going to the restroom."

Shelby grunted as she rubbed her temples. She noticed that Beth was so enthralled with the monkeys in front of her that she was unaware of everything. "Beth, how about if we go find Rachel? Say bye bye to your friends"

"Bye bye, Simon. Bye bye, Louie. Bye bye, Sally"

Shelby chuckled as she listened to her little girl bidding goodbye to each monkey. "Let's go find …"

"I think I'm going to go now, Shelby" Rachel said, approaching Shelby and Beth.

"Wait, Rachel. While I didn't appreciate being yelled at when I was just asking a question, it doesn't mean you have to leave. We are having fun as a family"

"But we are not a family" Rachel said, "Beth and you are a family. I am just … well, I am not"

"Please, watch Beth for a minute. I need to make a call" Shelby said, excusing herself. She wanted to tell Rachel that she was her family, she wanted to make her daughter understand that she needed her as much as the young girl needed her, but she didn't want Beth to listen to the serious conversation they were going to have to clear everything up.

While she was waiting for Shelby, Rachel listened to Beth tell her why she loved the zoo so much and how she wanted to have a monkey, but her mom didn't allow her.

"I've called the sitter" Shelby said, as she ended her call. "We'll take Beth to her house and then, we'll have the whole afternoon to talk. How does that sound?"

Rachel shrugged, not wanting to seem too happy about the idea.

"Okay, let's go. Beth, you are staying at Megan's this afternoon. She said she'd make you mac and cheese" Shelby told her youngest daughter.

"Yummy!"

…

"You really didn't have to do that, Shelby." Rachel said, after dropping Beth's at the sitter's.

"I didn't have to, but I wanted to do it" Shelby replied. "There are many things we need to talk about and it is difficult to talk when Beth is around. So, let's enjoy our time together. I bet you are hungry, where do you want to go?"

Rachel could see that her mother was being sincere and she really did want to spend time with her, so she let her guard down a bit and smiled. "There is a restaurant on Lexington Avenue that has a great vegan menu. I've only been there once, and I'd love to go there again."

"Let's go there, then." Shelby replied. "So, vegan means no meat, huh?"

"It's healthy. You should start thinking about giving up meat and other food. At your age, it is not very good to eat animal products"

"At my age? Are you calling me old?" Shelby said, with her hands on her hips.

Rachel chuckled and shook her head. "No. I was just saying that studies have shown that after the age of 35, women have to be more careful about what they eat."

"I see … Well, I will listen to you, and I will have a delicious vegan meal today"

…

"How is the crusted tofu?" Rachel asked, as she ate her wild mushroom and vegetable fricassee.

"It's … different" Shelby replied, taking another sip of water. She couldn't believe her daughter liked that kind of food. That was definitely something she hadn't gotten from her.

"I don't like tofu" Rachel admitted.

"Then why did you let me order it!?"

"I didn't know you wouldn't like it either" Rachel said, laughing at Shelby's face of disgust.

"That was not a very nice thing to do to your mother" Shelby said. This time, she knew the implications of what she was saying, but they had been eating for over half an hour and all they had talked about was Broadway. She knew they needed to start talking about more important issues.

"You are not my … You said …" Rachel started to speak, but she didn't know where to start. She was always very eloquent, except when she was with Shelby.

"I know what I said. Before we start, I want to apologize for having walked away after Regionals"

"And for adopting Beth?" Rachel added.

"No, I won't apologize for adopting Beth. She brought happiness back to my life. She brought back a smile I thought I had lost" Shelby explained.

"Then, I hope you and Beth are really happy together." Rachel said, getting up, about to storm out of the restaurant. She wanted to hear that Shelby was sorry for adopting Quinn's baby, not that she was so happy.

"Rachel, sit down!" Shelby said in a loud authoritarian voice. "We will never be able to have an adult conversation if you continue behaving like a child."

"You've just told me how happy Beth makes you. I'm happy for you!" Rachel said, in a defiant tone.

"You didn't let me finish …" Shelby said. "Now, can we continue?"

Rachel sat down and looked directly into Shelby's eyes. "Okay, go ahead"

"As I was saying, Beth made me happy. But I always felt something was missing. When Beth smiled for the first time, I thought of you. I wondered when you had smiled for the first time, what had made you smile. When Beth said her first word, I wondered what your first word had been …"

"But you gave me away …" Rachel said in a low voice.

"I had to, Rachel. Your fathers wanted a baby so they looked for a surrogate. You were never meant to be mine. I always knew that I would have to give you away to those two men when you were born. And I thought I would be prepared when the time came, but I wasn't …" Shelby admitted, as she reached across the table to take Rachel's hands. "When I saw you for the first time, I knew I couldn't do what your fathers were asking me to. But I had signed a contract, so I had to do it …"

"But I don't understand. Why did you ask Jesse to find me if you didn't want me as your daughter? Were you disappointed when you saw me?"

"No, of course not. You are perfect, Rach, and I was ready to be part of your life, but Will …" Shelby said, trying to explain everything that had happened.

"Will? Mr. Schuester?" Rachel asked, not sure what he had to do with them.

Shelby nodded sadly. "I wanted to be part of your life, but he really cared about you and he didn't want me to disrupt your life."

"That doesn't make sense. I wanted you. I needed you. Why would you listen to him!?" Rachel asked, getting worked up.

"I thought that he was right. You had wonderful fathers who gave you everything you needed. I had no right to ask for a place in your life"

"I needed a mother" Rachel replied, trying not to cry. She still had many things to say and she didn't want her tears getting in the way.

"I am sorry. I wish I could undo what I did" Shelby said, rubbing Rachel's hands with her thumb.

"You led me to believe you weren't ready to be a mother and then you went and adopted Beth! How do you think that made me feel?"

Shelby felt the sting of the tears threatening to roll down her cheeks as she looked at Rachel. "I am sorry"

"You keep saying that, Shelby, but that doesn't change the fact that you never wanted me as your daughter" Rachel said, "Why did you call me Beth's sister today? Why did you refer to yourself as my mother?"

"Because I realize what a fool I was. I shouldn't have listened to anyone but to my own heart. But you have to understand, I didn't want to disrupt that wonderful life your fathers had given you"

Rachel shook her head, as she let her tears flow. "I love dad and daddy, and I have no complaints. They are wonderful. But a girl needs a mother. I needed a mother."

"I'm right here" Shelby said, wiping Rachel's tears with her fingers.

"It's too late, Shelby"

"Do you know that every time you call me Shelby, I feel this pain in my heart that I cannot explain? It's like a shot to the heart." Shelby said sadly.

"Your name is Shelby, isn't it?" Rachel asked, pretending she didn't understand what her mother meant.

"It is. But you are my daughter and …"

"I can't. I can't call you mom. I have finally accepted that you and I will never be a family." Rachel said, "I just can't."

"Rachel, I know I was wrong. I know I hurt you. But we can be a family. We can start again."

"Unless you have a time machine or one of those pills that make you forget about everything, I don't think we can." Rachel added.

"I am not saying we should forget about everything. I don't want you to call me mom. I know I have to earn that title. But we can get to know each other. I want to know my daughter" Shelby said.

"I guess we can do that, Shelby" Rachel said, putting an emphasis on the name, so the older brunette knew she wasn't going to forget about everything right away.

"Thank you, that is all I am asking. And Rach, you can stay at the house as long as you want. It is your house, after all" Shelby said, smiling, "Though I do think you should talk to Kurt and …"

"Come on, not again" Rachel said, groaning.

"Okay. I won't bring that up again. So, how about some dessert? Desserts don't have any tofu, right?" Shelby asked, winking at Rachel.

"The apple cranberry pie is delicious." Rachel said, smiling at Shelby.

Both mother and daughter knew they had a long way to go. They both knew their relationship wouldn't be fixed in an afternoon, but they were both willing to give it a chance and that is what counted.

"So, tell me about what happened at the zoo when you were little …" Shelby said.

"Not until you tell me why you had that mug made …" Rachel replied.

Shelby and Rachel looked at each other and saw their own reflection in each other's eyes. Both knew that this time it would be different. Shelby knew she had just been given the chance to know that daughter she spent so many hours thinking about and Rachel knew she was finally getting her wish. It might have taken them 18 years, but they were on the road to becoming a family. They just knew they had to take it one day at a time.


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you so much for all the reviews, and for all the follows and favorite alerts. I am so happy that you are all enjoying this story. If you have any suggestions, please let me know.**

**...**

"Could we have an apple cranberry pie, please? We're going to share it" Shelby told the waitress. Sharing some pie could be seen as insignificant to most people, but to her, it was a big step. It was going to be the first thing she'd ever share with her daughter.

"So, Shelby, what´s the story behind the mug?" Rachel insisted.

Shelby took a long breath and then said, "It was a gift … from your fathers."

Rachel frowned, "Why? When?"

"Let me tell you the story. For eight months, I was convinced that I was doing the right thing. I was helping a couple bring a child into the world and I was finally going to be able to get out of Ohio and move to New York. I was thrilled. But then, I started to have some doubts. The closer the due date came, the more hesitant I was about giving you up. I think Hiram and Leroy noticed that and they drafted a contract …"

"So you would have to give me away even if you had some doubts?" Rachel asked.

Shelby shook her head. "They knew I wanted to make it big on Broadway, they knew what my dreams were, so they drafted a contract to give me the chance to make those dreams come true."

"But you were never on Broadway" Rachel said.

"I wasn't. Dreams change. Life sometimes takes you in a different direction." Shelby said and remained quiet for a couple of seconds, as she gathered up her thoughts. "They drafted a contract that stated I wasn't allowed to look for you until you turned 18. At first, I was okay with it. But then, you were born. I wasn't able to hold you in my arms for more than two minutes, but those two minutes meant the world to me. You were perfect. But I had to give you up. Hiram came into the room and took you away."

Rachel noticed a few tears were starting to roll down her cheeks and tried to wipe them before Shelby noticed. She didn't know what to say.

"I know you are wondering what this has to do with the mug" Shelby said and watched Rachel nod her head. "I fell into a severe depression after your birth. I thought about you all day long. I moved to New York, but I couldn't focus. I am not entirely sure how your fathers found out I was not doing well, but one day, I arrived in my apartment and found a little box with a card addressed to me. Inside, there was a mug and a note."

"What did the note say?" Rachel asked.

"It said: Thank you for giving us the world's best gift. Leroy took this picture while you were holding our Rachel Barbra. Thank you for all the sacrifices you made, including not drinking coffee for nine months …" Shelby said and smiled at the last words. She had read that note so many times that she knew every word by heart. "Now, every time you drink your coffee, you can think of the wonderful gift you gave us. We promise to love and cherish our little girl for the rest of our lives."

Rachel smiled and drew her chair closer to Shelby, and then she put her head on her mom's shoulder and whispered. "Thank you"

Shelby kissed Rachel on the head. "I knew you'd be happy with them. Your fathers are wonderful men. I knew I could trust them with my baby."

"I just wish I could have had the three of you" Rachel admitted.

Rachel and Shelby stayed in that position, with Rachel's head on Shelby's shoulder until they were interrupted by the waitress. "One apple cranberry pie and two forks. Enjoy, ladies."

Rachel sat straight on her chair and grabbed a fork. "I promise this is better than that tofu you ate"

"It better be" Shelby said, chuckling. "Oh, I forgot to order some coffee."

"You really like coffee, huh?" Rachel said, smiling, as she remembered the story her mom had just told her.

"I do. I cannot live without it. Would you like some?"

Rachel shook her head, "I'd prefer some tea."

…

Both mother and daughter spent the rest of the afternoon together, getting to know each other a little better. They walked around Times Square and talked about Rachel's plans for the future. The young brunette showed her mom the theater where Funny Girl was going to be on stage and they went into some stores before picking Beth up from the sitter's.

By the time, they got to the apartment building, they were all tired. For Beth, it had been an exciting day and she had fallen asleep before they got home, so she was in Shelby's arms. For Shelby and Rachel, it had been a very emotional day, so they couldn't wait to get home and sleep.

"I can't believe I have to work at the diner tomorrow" Rachel said, as she went into the apartment and sat on the couch.

"What time do you have to be there?" Shelby asked.

"At nine."

"I'll make you some breakfast before you go" Shelby said smiling.

"No, that's okay, Shelby. I can eat something at work."

"I insist. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and no child of mine will leave the house without it." Shelby said, giving Rachel a motherly look.

"Thank you, Shelby" Rachel replied, as she yawned. "I should go to bed. Good night."

…

The next morning, Rachel woke up and just as her mother had promised, she was greeted by the sight of eggs and freshly squeezed orange juice.

"Yummy, Wachel" Beth said, with a mouth full of eggs.

"We don't talk with our mouth full." Shelby gently scolded Beth.

"But it's good, mommy!" Beth said, taking another spoonful of eggs.

Rachel sat down and looked at her plate. "I'm not really that hungry, Shelby"

"You have to eat. Don't you like eggs? I can make something else" Shelby said.

"No, it's okay. I think I'll just have some juice." Rachel replied.

"You need to have something other than juice."

Rachel drank all her juice and then stood up, ignoring Shelby's last comment. "I have to go now."

"Rachel, it's 8am. You said your shift starts at 9. So, sit down and have some breakfast"

Rachel rolled her eyes and huffed. "I am not hungry, okay?"

Shelby shook her head. She knew that as a mom, there were battles that were not worth fighting, and she was starting to wonder if this particular one was one of them. Did she really want to start the day with the wrong foot?

"Okay. Take an apple or a banana, in case you get hungry." Shelby said, calming down.

"I work in a diner, Shelby, I can have something if I get hungry." Rachel replied, not really understanding what the big deal was. She was used to eating whenever she felt like it, and she wasn't taking being ordered around too well. Her fathers never demanded that she had to have breakfast before school.

"Please, Rachel, let's not fight. Just take an apple." Shelby said, handing Rachel the fruit.

"Okay. I have to go. I don't want to be late."

Rachel rushed out of the apartment and let out a sigh of relief once she was outside. She was happy that she was starting to build a relationship with her mother, but being a daughter could be really tiring. After being her own boss for almost a year, she was finding it difficult to have someone around to look after her.

…

"Rachel! There you are! I have been calling you nonstop, but you never answer your phone!" Kurt said as Rachel walked into the diner.

"I have been busy" Rachel replied. She was dying to tell Kurt that she was staying with Shelby and she wanted to talk about everything she was feeling, but she wasn't sure if Kurt could be considered her friend at the moment. He had taken Santana's side and Rachel was still hurt because of that.

"I have been worried about you. I even called Brody to see if you were staying with him." Kurt said.

"Brody? Why would I be staying with him? I haven't seen him since we broke up."

Kurt shrugged, "I didn't know where else you could go."

"I'm staying at …" Rachel was interrupted by her boss telling her that she was there to wait tables not to gossip with her friends.

"Wait, Rachel, where are you staying?" Kurt asked as Rachel took her notepad and went over to a table to take an order.

Rachel and Kurt didn't have a break until 12. Sundays weren't usually that busy, but that particular day, it seemed like everyone in Manhattan had decided to go to the diner.

"So, where are you staying? You should come back to the apartment" Kurt said.

"No. Santana and you have made it very clear that I am no longer welcome there." Rachel said, "I can't believe you'd do that to me, Kurt. I thought we were friends. I even called you my best friend."

"We are friends, Rachel."

"No, we're not. The minute you didn't back me up, you showed me you were never my friend. Santana made our life miserable when we were in High School, Kurt. I cannot believe you are now choosing her."

"I never chose her. I just thought we had to sit down and talk calmly." Kurt replied.

Rachel shook her head, "No. I hope you and Santana live happily together. I will be moving in with Shelby."

"Shelby? Ms. Corcoran? You are staying with her?" Kurt asked surprised.

"Yes. She welcomed me with open arms and she said I could stay with her. She lives in the city and has a beautiful apartment. I am a star, Kurt, and I should not be living in Bushwick. I should be living in Manhattan, so I will be staying at Shelby's" Rachel said, with a proud look on her face. She was really happy to be living with her mother, but she had to admit that she missed Kurt. "You can come visit me once you admit that what you did was wrong and I did not deserve that."

As Rachel spoke the last words, she walked away and returned to work.

"I think she needs another dose of Midnight Madness" Kurt said to himself.

…

Rachel walked back into the building in the late afternoon and realized she didn't have a key to the apartment. _"I hope Shelby is home," _she thought, since she didn't want to wait for her mom outside the apartment. She had been on her feet for over 8 hours and she was very tired. All she wanted to do was take a shower to remove the smell of fried food from the dinner and go to sleep.

She rang the bell and waited.

"I'll open, mommy" Beth said, rushing to the door.

"Ask who it is first, Beth" Shelby said.

"Who is it?" Beth asked.

"It's Rachel"

"It's Wachel, mommy!" Beth said, jumping up and down as she waited for Shelby to unlock the door. "We fed the duckies today!" Beth added, as soon as the door was opened.

"That's great! I wish I had been there" Rachel replied with a smile.

"We can go now!" Beth said, taking Rachel's hand.

Shelby chuckled and shook her head. "I'm afraid the ducks are already asleep, sweetie. We can go next weekend."

"But mommy, Wachel wants to feed the duckies" Beth answered, with an urge in her voice.

"We can go some other day" Rachel said, "I'm tired today, anyway"

"Oh" Beth replied with a disappointed look. "So, we no play today?"

Rachel yawned and looked at Shelby to get some help. She didn't want to disappoint the little blond girl, but she was really tired.

"You and Rachel can play tomorrow" Shelby said.

"I wanted to play today!" Beth said, stomping her foot.

Before Shelby could stop the outburst that was about to happen, Rachel said, "We can sing a song, if you want."

Beth nodded excitedly. "You sing? Like mommy?"

"Better than mommy" Rachel said, winking at Shelby.

Rachel started singing Castle on a Cloud from Les Miserables. When she finished the short song, she noticed Shelby had tears in her eyes and Beth was looking at her in awe.

"Again, Wachel!" Beth said, clapping.

Rachel yawned again. "I'll sing you another song, tomorrow, okay?"

Beth shrugged and yawned as well. "I think my two girls need to go to bed now." Shelby said.

"No tired, mommy" Beth said, being betrayed by another yawn.

"Come on, Beth, let's go to bed" Shelby said, holding her little girl's hand and leading her into the bedroom.

After having sung Beth a lullaby and having tucked her in, Shelby walked back to the living room, ready to walk her other girl to bed.

"You should go to bed as well, Rachel" Shelby said.

"I need to take a shower. I smell like burgers and fries" Rachel said, making a face of disgust.

"Okay, go take a shower and then, off to bed"

"I could really use a drink" Rachel said.

"I'll get you some juice" Shelby replied.

"How about some red wine?" Rachel asked, "Do you have any?"

"Very funny, Rachel. You are 18 years old, so no alcohol for you. Not until you turn 21."

"Kurt and I sometimes …" Rachel started to explain.

"Rachel. No alcohol for you until you turn 21. Understood?" Shelby said with a firm tone.

"Okay, okay" Rachel said, as she yawned again.

"Go, take a shower. I'll get you some juice."

Rachel smiled and stood up, "Thank you"

When Rachel was inside the bathroom, she smiled and whispered, "Thank you, mom."

Rachel had chosen to sing Castle on a Cloud, because ever since she was little, that song reminded her of her mom. She would sing it every time she was sad, every time she missed her mother. Whenever she sang '_There is a lady all in white, holds me and sings a lullaby. She's nice to see and she's soft to touch' _she would think that lady was her mother and she was there to hold her at night and sing to her. And she always changed the last line to '_She says, My Rach, I love you very much!' _instead of the name Cossette.

As soon as she finished her shower, she put her pajamas on and headed to bed. There was a glass of juice on the night table, and she smiled as she thought about her mom. She finished her juice, brushed her teeth and got into bed.

Just as she was falling asleep, Shelby came into the room to make sure Rachel was comfortable, and as she tucked her girl in, she whispered, "Rachel, I love you very much."

That night, Rachel realized that she could stop dreaming, because her mom was really there with her. And she couldn't ask for anything else.

...

**The song "Castle on a Cloud" is from the musical "Les Miserables".**


	7. Chapter 7

**Thank you so much for all the reviews, favs and follows once again. You have no idea how much every review means to me. I am so happy you are enjoying this story. I know everyone is looking forward to Rachel calling Shelby mom, and I promise that will happen pretty soon. **

**To those who have sent PMs with questions, I hope I have been able to answer them all. If I didn't answer one of your questions, please let me know.**

**Thank you for all the suggestions, I have taken them all into account and you will see them making an appearance throughout the story.**

**THANK YOU SO MUCH AGAIN! I hope you enjoy this new chapter.**

**...**

The next few days were very busy for both Shelby and Rachel. Between classes in NYADA and rehearsals for Funny Girl, Rachel didn't have much time to spend with her mother, just as Shelby didn't have much time to spend with the eldest daughter. She worked at Broadway daycare from 9am to 5pm from Monday to Friday, so when she got home, the rest of the afternoon was spent looking after Beth, who was growing more restless every day. And even though they were now living under the same roof, they only saw each other very early in the morning or very late in the evening. Fortunately, that day was Friday and they'd have the whole weekend to be together.

"Rachel, you're home early" Shelby said as she saw her daughter walk into the apartment on Friday afternoon. She wasn't expecting her until late that evening after rehearsal was finished.

"Rehearsal was cut short today" Rachel replied, walking into the kitchen. "I simply suggested that Santana rehearse during the morning while I am in classes, so she wouldn't disrupt my own rehearsal time and Rupert started lecturing me on professionalism!"

"So he cut the rehearsal short?" Shelby asked.

"I wasn't going to let him put all the blame on me" Rachel said with a hint of indignation in her voice.

"So rehearsal wasn't cut short, you just stormed out?" Shelby asked, wanting to understand what was going. She was starting to get very upset.

"I am the star of the show. There is no reason for Santana to be there while I am rehearsing. She is never going to play that role. She might be planning to push me down the stairs, but even if I have a broken leg or arm, I am going to be on stage!" Rachel said, leaving the kitchen with a bottle of water in her hand.

"Rachel, you cannot storm out when you don't get your way. Every lead actress needs an understudy." Shelby said, trying to remain calm, as she followed her daughter into the living room.

"I don't! I never get sick!" Rachel replied, raising her voice.

"Then, why do you care so much about Santana being there if she is never going to be on stage?" Shelby asked.

"She doesn't care about Broadway! I've told you that already!" Rachel yelled as she rolled her eyes. She thought that had been clear the first night she had spoken with her mother.

"Okay, don't yell at me. We can talk about this, but not when you are yelling" Shelby told her daughter as calmly as she could. She had been raised in a strict household where certain things, such as raising your voice, were not allowed, so she found it unacceptable to be yelled at.

"You don't understand. Nobody understands!" Rachel replied, not lowering her tone. "I'll be in my room. I need to rehearse."

"No, you are not going anywhere. You have been here for a week now, and I love having you around, but I think we need to talk about rules" Shelby said, leading her daughter to the couch.

"I'm 18" Rachel huffed.

"I know, and I am not going to set a curfew, you can come and go as you please, as long as you call and tell me you are going to be late, just so I don't wait up for you and I can go to sleep," Shelby said. "I won't ask you to clean your room; it's your own choice if you want to sleep in a messy or in a clean room. And I have been a bit more lenient about meals. I trust you, so I know you eat well. However, there is one thing I won't tolerate and that is disrespect. We can talk about anything you want for as long as you want, but you will not raise your voice or roll your eyes."

"Because you are my mother?" Rachel asked, sarcastically.

"No, not because I am your mother. Every person deserves to be respected. Not only me. But you are now living under my roof, so you will show me some respect, just as you will show Beth some respect." Shelby said firmly.

"Can I go to my room now?" Rachel asked. She liked living with Shelby and getting to know her mom, but she didn't like being treated like a kid.

"Not yet" Shelby answered.

"I need to rehearse" Rachel said with an urge in her voice.

"You could be rehearsing right now in the theater, but you chose to disrespect the director by storming out, so now we will both talk about it." Shelby said, still with a motherly tone of voice.

"I don't want to talk about it, Shelby" Rachel said, emphasizing her mother's name, as to let her know that she wasn't the boss of her.

"You don't have to talk. I'll do the talking, then. This is not a High School play, Rachel, this is the real world. You have been given the chance to star on Broadway, and you will have to behave like a professional actress. You cannot throw a tantrum when the director casts a person as your understudy and you don't like that person, just like you cannot storm out while the director is talking to you. That proves you are still a child, Rachel, and I know that you think being eighteen means you are an adult, but you are not. You won't be seen as an adult until you stop throwing a fit when you don't get your way. That is what Beth does, but she is three years old."

"I don't throw tantrums" Rachel mumbled.

"Rachel, I love you. I love that you so impulsive and so ambitious. I love how you work towards your dreams and you never let anyone stand in your way. But if you want to make it as an actress, you will have to start behaving like an adult." Shelby said, taking Rachel's hands into her hands.

"I …"

"Tell me something, do you think the director is proud of your reaction?" Shelby asked.

Rachel slowly shook her head. "But Santana …"

"Rach, honey, forget it is Santana, just think of her as your understudy. If you really never get sick, then she will never have to replace you."

Rachel nodded and sighed.

"I think you owe that director an apology, huh?" Shelby said, half smiling. She was getting more comfortable with being Rachel's mother.

"I'll send him a text" Rachel said, getting her phone out of her purse and starting to text. "Uh, do you want to help me rehearse?"

"I'd love to" Shelby replied, giving Rachel a kiss on the forehead. "Beth is taking a nap, so it's just you and me. I am Nick, right?"

"Yes, let's start here …" Rachel said, pointing at a scene on the script. "I'm sorry for having yelled at you."

…

The next day, Shelby woke up at the crack of dawn startled by the sound of rain falling. _"Oh no, I hope it stops raining soon," _she thought as she went into the shower. She had promised Beth she would take her to the pond to feed the ducks again, and the little girl was looking forward to sharing that experience with Rachel. She didn't want to see the look of disappointment on her baby's face if they weren't allowed to go.

Beth woke up just as the older brunette had finished getting ready and had cooked breakfast. "Mommy!" Beth yelled from her room.

"Oh, look who's awake" Shelby said, smiling at her baby girl. "Are you hungry, Beth?"

Beth nodded enthusiastically, "Yummy pancakes, mommy?"

"Not today. I made something even better" Shelby said, lifting Beth from the crib and putting her on the floor.

"Chocolate chip pancakes with chocolate syrup?" Beth asked, jumping up and down.

Shelby chuckled and shook her head, "Waffles!"

"I love waffles, mommy!" Beth said, giving Shelby her biggest and brightest smile. "I'll tell Wachel!"

"Hold on. Rachel is still sleeping"

"But mommy, you made waffles! And we have to eat fast, because we have to go and feed the duckies" Beth said.

Shelby glanced at the window and saw that it was still raining. "The duckies are not up yet, Beth."

Even though Shelby was doing her best to distract Beth, the little girl couldn't wait to wake her friend up, so she ran into Rachel's room and shook the bed as hard as she could, "Wachel, wake up, wake up! Mommy made waffles!"

Rachel stirred but didn't open her eyes.

"WACHEL!" Beth yelled.

"Okay, I'm up. Let's go have some waffles"

…

Later, as Shelby waited for Rachel to be ready and she got Beth dressed, she glanced at the window every five seconds, hoping it would stop raining, but it seemed like the weather forecast had been correct the night before and they were expecting cloudy skies and rain during the day.

"We are feeding the duckies" Beth told Rachel, as the young brunette walked out of her room wearing a sweater and leggings.

"I don't think we are, Beth, it's raining" Rachel replied.

"Mommy?" Beth said, as she turned to look at Shelby.

"I'm sorry, baby, but we can't go to the pond today" Shelby said with a sad look.

"But the duckies need food, mommy" Beth insisted.

"I'm afraid somebody else will have to feed them today." Shelby replied, "But we can have fun inside! We can watch movies!"

"Tangled!" Beth said, clapping her hands and forgetting about not being able to feed the ducks.

"Have you ever watched Tangled, Rach?" Shelby asked, wanting her eldest daughter to feel included.

Rachel nodded, "I love it" she said, smiling.

The small family watched the movie and sang along happily. Shelby was sitting between Rachel and Beth and she had an arm around each one of her girls. She loved how much Beth enjoyed the movie and how enthralled she was in the story, but the thing she was enjoying the most was watching Rachel, who was just as happy as her little sister, pointing out interesting facts about the movie. If Shelby were asked to describe a perfect moment, she would choose that particular one.

As soon as the movie was over, they all stretched as Beth announced she was going to play in her room. Shelby was a bit surprised, since Beth didn't want to leave Rachel's side whenever she was around, but she didn't question it. Beth did like to play with her dolls in her room sometimes, so she let the blond girl go.

"Do you want to watch another movie?" Shelby asked, "I think you can find one you like in my collection over on that shelf"

Rachel stood up and walked to the shelf. She couldn't contain her excitement when she saw all the DVDs. "Shelby, you have every movie Barbra has made! Can we watch them all!?"

"Today? I don't think so, Rach" Shelby replied with a subtle laugh. "We can watch one"

"I haven't seen A Star is Born in so long! But I don't know if we should see that one or Yentl! Oh, I love The Way We Were. And of course, if we see Funny Girl, I could study her movements and acting further … Are you sure we can't watch them all?" Rachel asked again.

"I'm afraid not"

"Okay, we can watch A Star is Born" Rachel declared, taking the DVD from the shelf.

Rachel and Shelby sat down, as Rachel put her feet on the couch and her head on Shelby's shoulder. Her mom didn't know it, but this was one of her dreams. She'd always wanted to watch a Barbra movie with her.

"Did you know that Barbra Streisand wanted the part of John Norman Howard to be played by Elvis Presley?" Rachel asked.

"I've also heard that her second option was Marlon Brando." Shelby added. She found it interesting how genetics worked. Even though she hadn't raised Rachel, the young woman was a lot like her. They had the same passion towards Broadway and they both loved to sing. In many ways, Rachel was a carbon copy of herself, not only physically.

Rachel and Shelby watched the movie in silence for twenty minutes, but that peace and quietness was interrupted by Beth running into the living room, wearing a hat and a pair of shoes that belonged to Rachel.

"Hey, those are mine!" Rachel said, looking at Beth.

"Beth, why are you wearing that?" Shelby asked. She thought it was adorable that Beth was wearing Rachel's items, but she couldn't let her little girl know that.

"I look like Wachel, mommy!" Beth said, smiling.

"I thought you were playing in your room. You cannot take someone else's things without their permission." Shelby explained.

"But I look like Wachel!" Beth insisted.

"Are you wearing my necklace around your wrist?" Rachel asked, standing up and grabbing Beth's wrist.

Beth was wearing the star necklace Finn had given Rachel for Christmas. It was one of the things Rachel cherished the most and she took very good care of it. She hardly ever wore it, because she was afraid of it getting lost, so seeing Beth wearing it was making her very upset.

"Ow" Beth said, as Rachel held on her wrist. "I like it"

"Take it off!" Rachel said in a loud voice.

"Rachel, you are hurting her. She'll take it off in a second" Shelby said.

Beth tried to remove it from her wrist, but it was all tangled. Since it was a necklace, she had tried to put it as a bracelet and had tangled the chain around her little hand. "Can't, mommy"

"Let me see" Shelby said, trying to take the 'bracelet' off.

Since Rachel was an only child, she had never had to deal with a sibling taking things from her room, so she didn't know how to react.

Shelby found it endearing that Beth had gone into the room and taken Rachel's things. She had done that as a kid as well, she was always taking clothes and jewelry from her sister's room and in way, the mere thought of Beth and Rachel going through that was warming her heart.

"Let me do it!" Rachel said, getting desperate and trying to grab Beth's wrist again. "Why would you take that necklace? It is mine and you cannot borrow it!"

"Rachel, let me handle it …" Shelby said.

Rachel sighed and shook her head. "You should teach your daughter not to take what doesn't belong to her." She took the hat from the little girl's head in a rough move and glared at her.

Beth started to cry, as she looked down "I'm sowwy, mommy. I wanted to look like Wachel"

"I know, Beth. But if you want to borrow something, you need to ask for permission," Shelby said to Beth, "I am sure that if you had asked, Rachel would've lent it to you. Right?" Shelby asked, turning to Rachel.

"No" Rachel simply said.

"Rachel …" Shelby said in a threatening tone.

"That necklace means a lot to me and she cannot borrow it!" Rachel replied, getting worked up.

Shelby finally managed to untangle the necklace and handed it to Rachel. "See? Nothing happened to it."

Rachel took it and examined it before putting it around her neck.

"Beth, apologize to Rachel for taking her things" Shelby said in a firm yet calm tone.

Beth sniffed and looked at Rachel, "I'm sowwy, Wachel"

"Good. You'll spend three minutes in the corner for what you did and then you can play" Shelby said, wiping Beth's tears with her thumb. "And Rachel, please apologize to Beth for hurting her."

"What? She took my things! Why should I apologize?" Rachel said, rolling her eyes.

"She is a little girl, she didn't know that she was doing something wrong, and she is being punished for it. Please, apologize to her for hurting her wrist."

Rachel glared at Beth and then at Shelby.

"Rachel, she is your little sister and this is what sisters do, I'm afraid. She was wrong, but you were wrong too. You should have let me handle it. So, Rachel, unless you want to spend some time in the corner as well, you will apologize to her" Shelby ordered. She knew that sending Rachel to the corner was an empty threat, because she was too old for that punishment, but she was hoping that the mere thought of Shelby being serious would make Rachel apologize.

Rachel stared at Shelby in shock, and as hundreds of thoughts were running through her mind, she looked at Beth and spoke, "I'm sorry"

Shelby smiled proudly and led Beth to the corner, "Three minutes, Beth."

Rachel looked at Beth and then at Shelby. She realized that what Shelby had told her the night before was true. In that moment, she hadn't behaved like an adult either, and she was very confused about what her role in that small family was.

"Finn gave me this necklace" Rachel said, softly.

Shelby hugged Rachel, as she didn't know what to say. She had heard about Finn's passing, and she wanted to let her daughter know she was very sorry about it, but she didn't have the right words to say. They hugged for three minutes and then Shelby let Rachel go with a soft kiss on her hair.

"Beth, you can come here now. What did you learn?" Shelby asked.

"I have to ask my sister if I can take her things" Beth said, sweetly, shocking both Shelby and Rachel. They hadn't fully explained why Rachel was her sister, but the little girl had accepted it without a question and she was letting them know that she was okay with it.

"Yes … That's right." Shelby said, not knowing what else to say.

Shelby knew Beth would be asking some questions later, but she was happy that at least one of her daughters had fully embraced her new role. That is what she admired about children; they opened their heart and mind to new experiences without giving them much thought. Now, she hoped, her eldest daughter would soon embrace her new role as well.


	8. Chapter 8

**Thank you so much for the reviews! I love knowing what you think about the story.**

**I want to thank DARecruit for all the help with this chapter. I don't think I would have been able to finish it without her support and her ideas. Thank you so much! **

**...**

As soon as Shelby tucked Beth in, she walked back to the living room where Rachel was watching TV and drinking some tea. She sat next to her and smiled at Rachel. "What are we watching?"

Rachel shrugged and put her head on Shelby's shoulder. She was going through a roller coaster of emotions, and all she wanted to do was talk to Shelby and figure out what she was feeling, but unlike the first time they spoke and she was able to tell her she needed her, this time she was finding it difficult to tell her mother what she was feeling. On one hand, she was feeling bad for having yelled at Beth, but on the other hand, deep down she knew her reaction had been justified, since that necklace meant a lot to her. And she couldn't stop thinking about her mother's threat to send her to the corner. Her fathers had only done that once when she was a kid and she had broken a family heirloom, but she had started crying so much that they had rushed to the corner to calm her down. But now, at 18, she had heard that threat again and she was confused. The look her mother had given her meant she had been serious, but the young brunette couldn't understand how she could have seriously been thinking about it. Rachel knew that you couldn't send an 18 year old to the corner. That was a punishment reserved for kids. The more she thought about it, the more confused she got. She furrowed her eyebrows as she was lost in her own thoughts and then sighed.

"What's on your mind, Rachel?" Shelby asked. She could almost hear all the thoughts going through her daughter's mind.

Rachel stayed silent for a couple of seconds and then spoke, "Were you serious when you said I'd have to stand in the corner if I didn't apologize?"

Shelby wasn't expecting that question, since she had only done it, because she was getting tired of Rachel's attitude. But now that she knew the reason why the girl had reacted that way, she wasn't so sure she should have made that threat. "I was, yes. Beth is your sister and no matter how angry you are at her, you cannot hurt her."

Rachel sighed again, as she started playing with the charm around her neck. "I was just … I always thought that I'd see him again."

Shelby realized in that moment that the time had come to speak about that heartbreak Rachel had gone through when she lost Finn, and even though she hadn't found the right words to say earlier, she had to step up and be that comforting mother Rachel needed. "I know, sweetie, it was so unexpected. I couldn't believe it when I heard he had passed away. All I could think about what how you were doing. I wanted to call. I wanted to hug you and tell you everything would be okay."

Rachel sat up and looked at Shelby. Her sight was clouded by the tears that were flowing from her eyes, but she wanted to look at her mother when she asked the next question. "Why didn't you call me?" Rachel asked between sobs.

"I don't know. I didn't know what to say, and I wasn't sure if you wanted me there" Shelby confessed.

"I felt so lost. I refused to believe he was gone. I …" Rachel started to say, but she couldn't continue. She had been trying to be strong for several months, but she was still feeling the pain of her loss.

"I am here now, baby." Shelby said, hugging Rachel and letting her cry.

Rachel cried on her mother's shoulder for nearly twenty minutes. Even though she had cried on Mr. Schuester's shoulder and had been next to Carole at the funeral, she hadn't gotten the comfort she was currently getting by knowing her mother was there for her.

Once Rachel had calmed down, she looked at her mother again and said, "The last time I talked to him was when you went to NYADA to help me with my Funny Girl audition. I took your advice and didn't sing Barbra. Finn told me I should sing something close to my heart, so I auditioned with 'Don't Stop Believing'. I never thought that city boy he sang about would take that midnight train going nowhere and would leave me all alone. I had it all planned out. I would make it big on Broadway and then I'd go back to Lima and …" Rachel stopped and bit her lip to stop the tears from falling down again.

"He is always watching over you, Rach." Shelby said. She knew it sounded cliché, but she didn't know what else to say. "I love you. I am here now."

Rachel smiled. "Thank you, Shelby. I … I should go to bed now. I have a headache."

As Rachel made her way towards the guest room, she turned to look at her mother and whispered, "I love you too."

…

The following day, Shelby woke up startled by the sound of Beth's voice calling for her from her bedroom.

"Oh, look who's awake" Shelby said, going into her little girl's bedroom and smiling. "I think today's the day, Beth."

Beth tilted her head and gave Shelby a confused look. "Today's the day, mommy?"

"Yes, my baby girl is growing up and I think she deserves a big girl bed. What do you say, Beth? Would you like a big girl bed?"

"Like yours, mommy?" Beth asked in awe.

Shelby chuckled, "Maybe not that big. You'd get lost in the covers."

"I want a pwincess bed, mommy, because I'm a pwincess!" Beth said, smiling and standing up on her crib so Shelby could get her out.

"We'll get you a princess bed, baby" Shelby replied, lifting her little girl. "Oof, you are getting so heavy"

"I'm a big girl now, mommy!" Beth replied with a slight duh tone in her voice.

"You certainly are" Shelby said, tickling her youngest daughter. "Let's get ready so we can leave."

…

As soon as they were all ready, Shelby announced that they were going to head to The Manhattan Mall.

"What about breakfast?" Rachel asked, having gotten used to being served a hot breakfast as soon as she woke up.

"We'll get some breakfast before we get to the mall" Shelby replied.

"Donuts!" Beth said, jumping up and down.

"Donuts? Are you really going to feed your child donuts for breakfast? Do you have any idea the amount of sugar …" Rachel started to say, but one look from Shelby made her keep her rant to herself.

"We like to have donuts once in a while, right, Beth?" Shelby said.

The little blond girl nodded, "They're yummy, Wachel!"

"I'll just have some juice." Rachel said.

"We can go get our donuts and then go to a deli so you can have a proper breakfast" Shelby said.

…

The visit to the mall was not what Shelby had planned. She was thinking that getting a new bed for Beth was going to be easy, but the little girl was so excited that she was getting hard to control and she couldn't continue chasing her around.

"Hey, Rach, why don't you go with Beth to the fountain on the ground floor? She likes to see the dancing fountains there" Shelby suggested, so she could go and buy the bed. "Just don't let go of her hand."

Rachel smiled at Beth and took her hand, "Come on. I was also getting tired of looking at furniture."

"Thank you" Shelby said with a smile. "I will meet you there in about twenty minutes. Beth, behave."

Beth nodded and pulled Rachel "Let's go, Wachel."

Shelby took a breath and headed back to the furniture section, ready to make a purchase.

Rachel made her way to the ground floor with her little sister, trying very hard to keep up with the restless toddler. Just as they were getting to the fountain in the middle of the mall, she spotted a familiar face. _"Ugh, please don't come this way, please don't head this way,"_ she thought.

"Hey, Berry, what brings you here? And who is that?" Santana asked, glancing at Beth. "Is that …?"

"Santana, excuse me, we are in a hurry." Rachel said, not wanting to engage in conversation with the latina.

"Are you Beth?" Santana asked the young girl.

Beth looked at her with a wary look and nodded, "How you know?"

"I am friends with your mom" Santana said.

"Beth, come on, let's go." Rachel said, with the intention of getting away from Santana.

"Who is she, Wachel?" Beth asked.

"Nobody" Rachel replied, trying to walk away, but Santana kept blocking her path.

"So, it's true, huh? You ran crying to mommy when mean Santana hurt you, huh?" The latina said in a sarcastic tone.

"Yes, I am living with Shelby, but I did not run crying to her. I simply called her and asked if I could stay at her house for a couple of days while I looked for a better place to live. A place where I wouldn't be backstabbed and betrayed by my so-called friends." Rachel said, giving Santana all her attention.

Beth soon grew bored of listening to both young women talk and her eyes grew wide when she noticed Toys 'R Us was a few steps away.

"We did not backstab you, Hobbit. You are just so busy in your own little Rachel world that you cannot see beyond your nose. The world does not revolve around you." Santana replied.

"I still don't understand why you did that to me. Wasn't everything you did in High School enough?" Rachel asked, raising her voice.

"Come on, relax, I just wanted to live that Broadway dream you were always talking about and what better way than stepping on your toes" Santana replied.

"I cannot believe I thought you were my friend!" Rachel added.

Just as that fight was taking place, Shelby was smiling, feeling very proud of herself for having purchased the perfect bed for Beth. She was sure her daughter would love it. That smile turned into a frown as soon as she spotted Rachel, but she didn't see Beth.

"Rachel!" Shelby called from the escalators.

The young brunette turned her head when she heard her name being called.

"Oh look, mommy's coming!" Santana teased.

"Shut up!" Rachel said.

"Rachel, where's Beth?" Shelby asked, ignoring Santana.

"She is … She was …" Rachel started to panic. She hadn't realized her little sister was no longer by her side. "I swear she was right here."

"I told you not to let go of her hand!" Shelby said in a firm tone, while she tried not to panic.

"Uh, I should go." Santana said, not wanting to get involved in the family drama.

"Rachel, help me look for her!" Shelby said, shaking her head.

"Shelby, I swear she was by my side" Rachel added.

"Beth! Beth!" Shelby yelled, as she walked around the area.

Shelby couldn't think straight. Her heart was beating faster than normal, her hands were sweating and she was having a panic attack. She tried to take a deep breath so she could calm down and that's when she saw a head full of blond curls playing on the floor at Toys 'R Us.

She ran to the store and helped Beth stand up. "You scared me so much. I am so glad you are okay" she said, hugging her daughter.

Shelby's relief was soon replaced by anger. "What have I told you about wandering off!?" she asked, swatting Beth on the bottom.

"I'm sowwy, mommy" Beth replied with tears in her eyes. "I wanted to play."

"You cannot wander off, Beth. I am serious." Shelby said, kneeling in front of her daughter. "I thought you were safe with Rachel, and when I went to meet you by the fountain, you were gone. I got really scared"

"Wachel was busy" Beth said, looking at Rachel who had rushed into the toy store when she noticed her mother going inside.

Shelby looked up to see Rachel and gave her a look that showed her anger and disapproval.

"I wasn't busy!" Rachel said, trying to defend herself. That look her mother had just given her had made her very nervous, but she wasn't going to allow her sister put all the blame on her.

Shelby shook her head and looked at Beth again. "I need you to promise you will never do that again."

Beth nodded and sniffed. "I pwomise, mommy."

Shelby smiled at Beth and lifted her off the ground. She held her in her arms and kissed her on the head, as the little girl wiped her tears on her mom's blouse. "I love you, Bethie, and I'd die if you got lost."

As Rachel listened to her mom saying those last words to Beth, she couldn't help rolling her eyes.

"Rachel, I am very disappointed in you. I trusted you with your sister." Shelby said in a firm tone, looking at Rachel, who was showing no remorse at the moment.

"I was holding her hand. But we ran into Santana and she …"

"Stop it!" Shelby said, raising her hand, so Rachel would stop speaking. She realized she had been too loud when everyone in the store turned to look at them. "We will have a lengthy discussion at home."

"It wasn't my fault!" Rachel replied, stomping her foot. She realized she wasn't behaving like an 18 year old at the moment, but she found it unfair that her mother was angry at her as well.

Shelby walked closer to Rachel and in a threatening tone, she said, "Rachel, I suggest you keep your attitude in check. I am this close to swatting you on the bottom as well …"

Rachel blushed and looked around to make sure nobody had heard what Shelby had just told her. She was 18 years old, she was an adult, and she couldn't be threatened like a child. Her fathers had never laid a finger on her, so she was sure her mother would not do anything, especially now that she was all grown up. But one look at Shelby's raised eyebrow made her think there was some truth in that threat.

"So, can we go home? My head is about to explode" Shelby said, walking towards the exit, still holding Beth in her arms.

"I'll be home later. I want to buy some things" Rachel said, not wanting to face an angry Shelby. Beth was doing okay, nothing had happened to her, so she didn't understand why her mother looked so upset. Beth had let go of Shelby's hand at the zoo the previous weekend, and the little girl had just been told off. Rachel couldn't understand why, this time, everything was different.

"Oh no, you won't. You're coming home with us" Shelby told her daughter in a forceful tone. "Come on, Rachel, let's go."

Rachel huffed but she did what she was told. She could see that Shelby was no longer afraid of parenting her, and even though she felt embarrassed to be treated like a little girl, it warmed her heart that she was finally having a real mother/daughter relationship with Shelby.

…

"Mommy, you mad?" Beth asked from her car seat, as Shelby drove them all home.

"I'm not angry anymore, Beth" Shelby replied, looking at her little daughter from the rearview mirror. "I was very scared, but we have talked about it and I know you won't wander off again, right?"

Beth nodded forcefully as she said in a low tone, "Wachel was busy. I was bored"

"I understand that Rachel was busy, and I'll be talking to her about that when we get home …" Shelby said, taking her right hand off the steering wheel and putting it on Rachel's leg to let her know the last thing she said had been intended for her, "but you know you cannot let go of our hand when we are in a public place."

"I no want the corner" Beth said, sadly, with a pout.

"You won't have to stand in the corner, sweetie. I trust that you have learned not to wander off" Shelby said, and then added, "You know what will happen if you ever wander off again …"

The three ladies drove in silence for a minute, until Rachel spoke, "I was taking good care of Beth. If it hadn't been for Santana, nothing would've happened."

"Rachel, you cannot blame somebody else for this." Shelby said. She wanted to look at Rachel when she explained why she was so upset with her, and she knew she couldn't have that conversation while she was driving and paying attention to the road. As soon as she parked the car in front of the building, she said, "Let's go in, and we'll talk about it in a minute"

…

As soon as Shelby had put Beth down for a nap, she walked into the living room where her eldest daughter was sitting, wearing a defiant look on her face.

"Alright, Rachel, let's talk about this." Shelby said, sitting on the table in front of her daughter, "The minute Beth let go of your hand, you should have run behind her. You are not in trouble for her wandering off; you are in trouble, because you didn't even notice she was gone."

"I am in trouble?" Rachel asked, surprised to hear that. "Why? It wasn't my fault!"

Shelby raised an eyebrow, "Whose fault was it, then? You were the one who was looking after her. You are the one who has been reminding me you are 18 years old. So, I thought I could trust you with your sister, Rachel. But I see that I was wrong."

"You can trust me with her! I had a firm hold on her hand, but Santana distracted me and that is when Beth let go of my hand! It was Santana's fault!" Rachel replied, not being at all intimidated by the look her mother was giving her.

"Enough about Santana!" Shelby said, raising her voice. "You know what being an adult is, Rachel? Taking responsibility for your own mistakes. Yes, Santana might have gotten in your way, but you cannot keep blaming everything on her. We had this same conversation on Friday, Rachel, you need to start acting like an adult if you want to be seen as one."

Rachel rolled her eyes at being lectured and tried to stand up. "Beth is okay. Nothing happened to your princess. So, this conversation is pointless!"

"Don't you dare take another step, Rachel. Sit down now! We are not finished!" Shelby said, in a motherly tone.

Rachel looked at Shelby for a moment, trying to decide if she should listen to her mom or not, and in an impulsive moment, she shook her head and started walking away. Before she knew what was happening, Shelby stood up from the table, grabbed Rachel's arm and gave her a solid swat on her backside. "Sit down now!"

"You cannot do that! I am 18 years old!" Rachel said, stomping her foot.

"You are not acting 18 right now. Sit down on the couch, now" Shelby said, lifting her left hand, ready to swat Rachel again if she didn't listen to her. But the young brunette hurried towards the couch and sat down. "Can we continue?"

Rachel nodded and looked down. She was upset that her mother had in fact swatted her, just as she had threatened to do at the mall, but that swat had helped bring all her walls down, and she was starting to see that Shelby really cared about her and she was ready to be her mother.

"I don't understand why you were so angry today …" Rachel confessed, trying to open up. "Last Saturday, we went to the zoo and Beth did the same thing."

"No, she didn't, Rach. She let go of my hand and tried to run, but I caught her." Shelby explained, relieved that Rachel's attitude was gone for the moment. "This time, she managed to slip away without you noticing"

"I swear I was taking good care of her, Shelby. I swear …" Rachel said, trying not to cry. She finally understood why her mother was so angry and she was afraid that anger would make her turn her back on her again. "I don't know why I let Santana get me distracted. I should have just walked away … I never meant for this to happen. Please believe me, mom"

"I believe you, Rach." Shelby said, taking Rachel's hands and smiling. She had heard the name Rachel had just called her, and that made all her anger and disappointment vanish. "Maybe I shouldn't have placed so much responsibility on your shoulders. It was your first time looking after a three year old girl."

"But I can do it, mom" Rachel said. "Next time I will watch her like a hawk."

"We both have a lot to learn, I think. And we will be learning little by little. What happened today was scary, but I think we both learned a lot from it."

Rachel nodded, "I'm sorry."

Shelby leaned to kiss Rachel on the head and then smiled, "There is something else I want to talk to you about."

"That swat you gave me? I forgive you" Rachel said, seriously.

Shelby chuckled and shook her head, "No, sweetie, you deserved that swat. And I know you think you are too old, but if you behave like a child, I will treat you like a child, got it?"

"I … Well … That was my first …" Rachel blushed and looked down. "And my last!" she added.

"If you say so" Shelby said, sitting next to Rachel. "What I wanted to talk to you about is you calling me mom. Are you sure you are ready?"

"I am, mom." Rachel said, "Being an adult means forgiving and forgetting, right? I want to have a relationship with you. I want to be your daughter. I need you to be my mom"

"I will always be here for you, sweetie. I am so happy to have you back into my life. I think now my life is complete. That piece of my heart I lost when I gave you away has been returned to me and it has made my heart whole again" Shelby hugged Rachel and added, "I love you, Rachel"

"I love you too, mom" Rachel said, melting into the hug.


	9. Chapter 9

**I am really sorry for having taken this long to update this story. My muse went on strike for a while and I was really struggling with the chapter. I am really really sorry!**

**Thank you for all the reviews! They mean so much to me.**

**...**

As Rachel laid in bed, she kept replaying everything that had happened that day. For the first time in forever, she truly felt like she had a place in her mother's heart. She felt bad for having let her emotions get the best of her once again and having lost Beth, but she now saw the whole incident as a blessing in disguise. If it hadn't been for that, she wouldn't have started calling Shelby 'mom', and they would still be treating each other as strangers. The young brunette had made a very important step in their relationship and she knew it. She was proud of herself, and she was proud that Shelby had mended her ways and was now ready to become her mother.

Just as Rachel was lost in her own thoughts, her phone began to ring. _"Who could be calling me at this time?" _she thought, as she adjusted her eyes to the light from the phone and saw who it was.

"Daddy! Hi!" Rachel said, starting to feel a little nervous. "Yes, yes, of course everything is alright. I have been terribly busy these days with school, work and rehearsal and … Yes, I'm sorry, I didn't mean for you and dad to get worried. I-I-I have some news, but it can wait … Yes, me too, daddy. I love you"

Rachel stared at her phone and sighed. She knew she should have told her fathers about her living with Shelby, but she didn't know how they were going to react. She was already 18 years old, which meant the contract was no longer valid, but she had suffered a lot when Shelby had rejected her and her fathers had been the ones who had been there to help her get through the disappointment and pain, so she was sure that Shelby was not liked by her fathers.

All that thinking was giving her a headache, so she decided to close her eyes and try to sleep. She figured she could talk to her mom about it ilater.

...

"Good morning, Rach" Shelby said as she walked into the kitchen.

"Good morning, mom" Rachel replied.

"That smells delicious. What is it?" Shelby asked.

"It's a spinach frittata. I've already made some juice and there are muffins in the oven" Rachel replied, smiling.

"What time did you get up?" Shelby asked, looking at the clock on the microwave that displayed 8:10 am.

"I've been up since 7. I couldn't sleep. So I thought it would be nice to make you and Beth some healthy breakfast"

"Thank you, honey. You didn't have to cook us breakfast. I am happy to do it" Shelby said.

"I wanted to apologize for what happened yesterday." Rachel replied. Now that she had her mom in her life, she didn't want to risk her rejecting her again, so she was planning on getting on her mom's good side again.

"It's all forgiven and forgotten, Rach" Shelby replied, kissing her daughter's head. "How come there are only two places set on the table?"

"I've already had some fruit and I want to get to work earlier so I can talk to Kurt"

"Oh, I'm glad you two are finally making up." Shelby said, ready to be confronted, but she just saw her daughter shrug.

"Wachel! Play with me?" Beth asked, running into the kitchen.

"Hey, miss, no running in the house!" Shelby gently scolded her little daughter.

"Sowwy, mommy. Wachel? Play?"

"I'm sorry, Beth, I have to go to work. I am running late, in fact." Rachel said, glancing at her watch, "I should start looking for another job closer to this apartment. There is no reason why I have to travel by subway all the way to Bushwick to go to work when there are plenty of good diners around the city, where I could apply as a waitress. Of course, I won't have to be a waitress much longer, right?"

The little blond girl stared at her sister and nodded, "Wight!"

Shelby chuckled as she ruffled Beth's hair. "Breakfast is ready."

The little blond girl kneeled on the chair and looked at the strange dish that was being served on her plate. She scrunched her nose and looked at her mom. "What is it?"

"Rachel made us breakfast this morning" Shelby replied.

"It's a spinach frittata with sun dried tomatoes and goat cheese" Rachel said, proud of what she had cooked. She was not a good cook, but she had followed the recipe step by step and she was sure the dish was delicious.

Beth tilted her head and looked at Rachel. She had no idea what her sister had just said, but the words spinach, dried tomatoes and goat cheese didn't sound too appealing.

"Mommy, I want pancakes" Beth said, giving her plate a final look.

"Why don't you try your frittata?" Shelby said, trying the dish her eldest daughter had made. She usually didn't like goat cheese, but she had to admit her breakfast was very good. "It's delicious"

"It's healthy, Beth." Rachel added.

The little girl looked at both her mom and her sister and then shook her head. "I want pancakes"

"Mom, you cannot make her pancakes. They are delicious, but they are not as healthy as this dish, and Beth needs the nutrients spinach provides." Rachel said, frustrated that her little sister didn't want to try the dish.

"I know, honey, but she might still be too young for such an elaborate dish. Don't worry, I will eat it all. It is so good that I am having another serving" Shelby replied, not wanting to start an argument with either one of the daughters. She then turned to Beth and said, "Rachel made muffins as well. I am sure they are delicious. How about you have a muffin instead?"

Beth glanced at Rachel and asked, "Chocolate?"

"Yes, they are chocolate chip muffins" Rachel replied, smiling as she got the muffins out of the oven and gave one to her little sister.

"Yummy in my tummy!" Beth said, with a mouth full of the sweet delight.

Both mother and daughter laughed at the same time and stared sweetly at the youngest member of the family who was enjoying her muffin as if it were her last meal.

"What do we say to Rachel, Beth?" Shelby said.

"Can I have another one?" Beth asked, with a smile that showed her chocolate covered teeth.

Shelby chuckled and shook her head, "How about if we say thank you first?"

"Thank you, Wachel" Beth said, standing on the chair to be able to hug her sister.

"You are very welcome." Rachel replied. When she first saw Beth, she wasn't too fond of the girl, because she was the one who had come to take her place as Shelby's daughter, but now, she couldn't be happier about having a little sister. "Mom, I have to go. I'm running late"

"Thank you for breakfast. It is delicious" Shelby replied, getting up to hug her daughter goodbye. "Have a wonderful day"

…

"You look quite cheerful this morning" Kurt said, as soon as Rachel walked into the diner.

"I am very happy. I had always wanted to live with my mom."

"That is … wait, with your mom? You are calling her mom?" Kurt asked in a concerned tone.

Rachel nodded and smiled. "I have a mom and a little sister. Can you believe it?"

"Rachel, are you sure? I don't want you to get hurt again. Ms. Corcoran is not the most reliable person." Kurt added, looking at his friend with a worried look.

"I appreciate your concern, Kurt, but she has proven she is ready to fully commit as a mother. She even has …" Rachel wanted to share why she was so sure Shelby was ready to be her mom, but she stopped herself.

"She even has what?"

"Oh she even has confessed she made a mistake the first time she walked away." Rachel said.

"Then, I am very happy for you. I do have to say I miss you. Living alone with Santana was not what I signed for when I moved to the city"

"I miss you too. I- I felt like I had lost my best friend" Rachel confessed. "I was so afraid."

"You can never lose me. I can get mad or frustrated, but we are kindred spirits, we divas have to stay together" Kurt said, "So, tell me, what is it like living with Coach Corcoran? Is she scary?"

_Yes! _Rachel thought, but what came out of her mouth was different, "No, not all"

"What is it like living with Beth?"

"She looks like Quinn, so it was very difficult at first. I knew Shelby had chosen Quinn's baby over her own daughter and that made me hate Beth. But once I got to know her, I just could not hate her. She is adorable. I have a feeling she is a magnet for trouble, though." Rachel said.

"It looks like Santana did you a favor, huh?" Kurt replied.

"I guess. I still do not understand why she auditioned, though. I will be talking to the producers."

"Don't …"

The two friends were interrupted by the manager, who said, "I am not paying you to come and chat. There are people waiting to be served."

"We are sorry, sir." Rachel replied, as she adjusted her apron. "Kurt, come to dinner tomorrow. We can talk, then. Shelby will be out"

…

"Mommy, mommy, mommy, I love my bed!" Beth said, jumping on her new bed. It had been delivered that morning and as soon as it was placed in her room, she started jumping on it.

"I'm glad you do, baby, but no jumping on the bed" Shelby said, catching Beth mid-jump.

"It's fun, mommy!" Beth said, nodding and squirming so her mom would put her down and she could go back to jumping on her new bed.

"It's dangerous. I don't want you jumping on the bed." Shelby replied in a serious and firm tone.

"Okay, mommy. We go to the park today?" the little girl asked, soon forgetting about the bed.

"I don't know. It is supposed to rain today." Shelby replied, looking out the window to see if there were any clouds.

"Where's Wachel?" Beth asked. Maybe her sister could talk their mother into taking her to the park.

"Rachel is working."

"Oh" Beth sighed. She didn't want to spend the whole day inside the apartment, especially if she wasn't allowed to jump on the bed.

"I have an idea. We can go to the park for a little while, and then, we can have lunch at the diner where Rachel works. We can surprise her, and I am pretty sure she didn't take an umbrella with her this morning …" Shelby suggested, smiling at her daughter. "What do you say?"

"Yes!" Beth replied, running to her closet to get her little pink umbrella with the picture of some of Rapunzel from Tangled. "I can lend her mine!"

"That is very sweet of you, baby" Shelby told her little girl. She was sure Rachel wouldn't want to use her little sister's umbrella, but she couldn't say that to Beth. She was proud that her daughter was willing to lend one of her most precious things to her sister. "But if Rachel takes your umbrella, how are you going to protect yourself from the rain?"

Beth remained silent for a minute while she thought about the question and then shrugged, "You can lend her your umbrella, mommy."

"That's a great idea!" Shelby said, tapping her little girl's nose. "Let's get ready so we can go to the park before it rains."

…

"Are you okay, Rachel?" Kurt asked, as he listened to his friend clearing her throat for the third time in an hour.

"I am. I just have a tickle in my throat. It must be due to the air conditioning." Rachel replied, taking a sip of water.

"Hey, Berry, I was eavesdropping and I couldn't help listening to your conversation with Lady Hummel here. Are you getting sick?" Santana asked with a smirk.

"I am not getting sick. I do not get sick. The air conditioning is simply bothering my throat, but I will be switching it off, so it does not harm my vocal chords." Rachel answered.

"If you cannot sing, you can count on me to take your place in the show. It'll be my pleasure" Santana said, winking at Rachel.

"That won't be necessary, Santana, because I never get sick!" Rachel added, walking away from the Latina.

"Could you not pick on her every time you see her, please?" Kurt said to Santana in an annoyed tone.

"Oh come on, that is what I do best" Santana replied.

…

Shelby and Beth spent an hour in the park before getting a taxi to go to the Spotlight Diner. Even though Shelby had lived in New York City for several years, she had never been to that part of the city, so she decided to catch a cab instead of driving there.

Rachel was cleaning a table when the door opened and the bell chimed in to announce a new customer had just arrived. As usual, she looked up to see who it was, in case it was a theater producer or a director, but who came in surprised her more than any celebrity.

"Mom? What are you doing here?" Rachel asked, walking over to her mother and her sister.

"We got hungry and we were in the neighborhood, so we decided to surprise you" Shelby replied, smiling at her daughter.

"You were in the neighborhood …" Rachel repeated and gave her mom and her sister an incredulous look.

"I want a burger!" Beth chimed in, bored from the conversation Shelby and Rachel were having.

"Miss Berry, why are you keeping these customers standing?" the manager asked, as he led Shelby and Beth to a table. "Please take a seat. This is Rachel. She will be your waitress. If you have any problems with her, please let me know."

"Thank you. There will be no need for that. " Shelby replied politely and then looked at her daughter. "We wanted to see where you worked and I was concerned about you not having your umbrella with you."

"My umbrella? Really, mom?" Rachel asked, shaking her head.

"The weather forecast said it is going to rain this afternoon." Shelby explained, "You need an umbrella."

"Mom, are you serious? The sky is clear. There isn't a single cloud. I don't need an umbrella." Rachel said, rolling her eyes.

"Hey, don't roll your eyes. The sky can turn cloudy any second. I don't want you to get sick." Shelby said.

"Wachel, burger and fries, please." Beth said, getting frustrated at being ignored.

Rachel wrote down Beth's order on her notepad and without glancing up to look at her mother, she asked, "What can I get you, mom?"

"I'd like a green salad." Shelby replied. "We'll continue our conversation when you come back."

Rachel sighed and walked away. "She can be so overbearing sometimes." the young brunette told Kurt.

"What is she doing here?"

"Apparently, she is sure it is going to rain, so she brought me an umbrella. Unbelievable, right?" Rachel said, shaking her head once again.

"She might be right …" Kurt added, as he watched his friend walk away.

As Rachel was placing the order in the kitchen, Santana walked to Shelby's table. "Hello, Coach Corcoran. I am not sure if you remember me …"

Shelby looked at the Latina with a confused look. Of course she remembered her; she had been her coach for a whole semester. "Hello, Santana."

"Oh, you're mommy's friend!" Beth said, looking at the young woman standing by the table.

Shelby gave Santana one of her signature 'you'd better explain what is going on' look and watched the black haired young woman get nervous.

"I just mentioned at the mall that I knew her mom. I mean, I know you, right?" Santana explained.

"Alright, that better be true" Shelby said in a serious tone.

"Of course" Santana said. She had walked over to Shelby with the intention of messing with Beth, but one look from Shelby had made her change her plan. She sighed and walked towards Rachel. "So, what is mommy doing here? She's checking on her precious daughter?"

"What were you just saying to her?" Rachel asked, ignoring Santana's question.

"I was just saying hello."

"Please don't ruin this for me" Rachel begged.

"What do you think I am going to do?" Santana asked.

Rachel didn't reply and went to pick up her order, "A kid's meal for Beth and a green salad for you, mom."

"Thank you. Can you take a break?" Shelby asked.

"I guess I can sit down for five minutes." Rachel said, taking her mom's fork and eating some salad.

"Is it good?" Shelby asked, chuckling.

"Very good" Rachel said, nodding. "You should try it."

"I will once my daughter gives me back my fork." Shelby replied, winking at Rachel.

For the last eighteen years, she had imagined how she would feel if Rachel came back into her life, if she was given the chance to get to know her, to be her mother, but she never thought she could be that happy. Listening to her eldest daughter call her mom was one of the most beautiful sounds she had ever heard. And now, seeing how comfortable Rachel was around her was bringing the widest smile to her face.

"Sorry, mom. I was hungry." Rachel said, giving her mom the fork back.

"What did you have for lunch? I don't want you skipping meals." Shelby said in a motherly tone.

"I haven't had lunch yet, but don't worry, I am not skipping meals." Rachel replied.

"You'd better not. I can bring you lunch every day if you need me to"

"No, mom, that will not be necessary." Rachel answered. She wasn't sure if her mom was serious, but after their conversation the previous evening, she didn't want to doubt her.

"Then, make sure you eat well." Shelby added.

Rachel nodded and got up the table. "I have to get back to work."

"Before you go, Rach …" Shelby started to say, as she handed her daughter the umbrella she had brought for her, "Take the umbrella."

"It won't rain!" Rachel said, grabbing the umbrella and putting it by her coat.

"Your sister is very stubborn." Shelby told Beth, who was too interested in her burger and fries to pay attention to her surroundings.

…

By the time Rachel left the diner, the sky was still clear, so she just took her coat and headed out. She didn't even notice the umbrella that was on the floor by her coat. She took the subway and headed home. After a long day on her feet, she couldn't wait to take a bath and relax.

The trip home took about 40 minutes, and when she climbed up the stairs to get out on the street, she noticed the long parade of umbrellas. _"Oh no! Mom was right!" _she thought, as she stood by the side of the road and tried to hail a cab, as the rain poured on her.

If hailing a cab was difficult on a sunny day, it was even harder on a rainy day, so after ten minutes of standing in the rain, the young brunette decided to walk home, covering her head with her purse.

The walk home took her nearly fifteen minutes, and by the time she got to the front door, she was soaking wet and was shivering. She took a minute to warm herself up and then opened the door.

"Hey, Rachel, how was -" Shelby's question was interrupted by the sight of her daughter. "What happened? Where's your umbrella?"

Rachel looked down and shrugged, as she shivered in the cold apartment. "I … I left it at work."

"But I …" Shelby was about to lecture her daughter when she realized getting Rachel out of those wet clothes was more important. "Go take a shower and put your pajamas on."

Rachel walked by her mother without saying a word.

Half an hour later, Rachel walked out of the bathroom wearing her flannel pajamas.

"I've made you some tea." Shelby said, handing the warm cup to her daughter. "Let's talk. I gave you that umbrella that afternoon so you wouldn't get wet as you did."

"The sky was clear when I left work." Rachel explained.

"But the weather can change. I told you the forecast said it would rain" Shelby said. She didn't want to be too hard on her daughter, but she felt like she had been ignored.

"I didn't mean to forget it. It wasn't raining when I left work, so I just grabbed my coat and I left." Rachel replied, taking a sip of her warm tea. Her throat was bothering her again, so the warm liquid felt really good as in made its way down her throat.

Shelby shook her head and looked at Rachel, as she gathered her thoughts. She was about to speak when her daughter spoke, "It was just a little fall of rain."

"You were soaking wet when you walked into the apartment, Rachel. That was more than a little fall of rain." Shelby said, forcefully. "You could get sick."

"I don't get sick." Rachel scoffed, even though that tickle in her throat was saying otherwise.

"Finish your tea and go to bed." Shelby added.

"You cannot send me to bed." Rachel said in a defensive tone.

"I'm not sending you to bed, Rach. I am suggesting you go to bed, because you had a long day and you must be tired." Shelby replied calmly. Sometimes Rachel really reminded her of herself when she was that age.

"Oh" Rachel replied, giving her mom a sheepish smile.

"Next time, Rachel, please don't dismiss what I tell you." Shelby told her daughter, giving her a kiss on the top of her head.

…

Shelby was awakened by the sound of someone coughing. At first, she thought it was her imagination, but then the coughing continued. She got up and walked into Beth's room to check that her youngest daughter was asleep, and then, she walked into Rachel's room.

"I'm not sick" Rachel said in a hoarse voice.


End file.
